H«7IH 

1074 

HOLDEN’S 


BOOK  ON  BIRDS 


BY 

CHARLES  F.  HOLDEN. 

0 


Third  Edition,  Revised  and  Enlarged, 
$ 


“ LITTLE  DEW  DROPS  OF  CELESTIAL  MELODY 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 
in  2017  with  funding  from 

University  of  Illinois  Urbana-Champaign  Alternates 


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HOLDEN’S 


BOOK  ON  BIRDS. 


BY 

CHARLES  F.  HOLDEN.  ” 


THIRD  EDITION,  REVISED  AND  ENLARGED. 


“ If  you  have  knowledge,  let  others  light  their  candles  at  it.”  — Fuller. 

“ Little  dewdrops  of  celestial  melody.”  — Carlyle. 

“ I envy  no  man  that  knows  more  than  myself,  but  pity  them  that  know 
;ss.”  — Sir  Thomas  Browne. 


NEW-YORK  BIRD -STORE,  PUBLISHERS,. 

9 Bowdoin  Square,  Boston. 


mdccclxxiv. 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1874, 
By  CHARLES  F.  HOLDEN, 

In  the  Office  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress  at  Washington. 
ALL  RIGHTS  RESERVED. 


Boston  : 

Rand,  Avery,  & Co.,  Stekeotypers  and  Printers. 


HllL 

1814- 


CONTENTS. 


PAGE.  PAGE. 


Preface  . 

, 

6 

| Cut-throat  • 

6S 

Introduction 

. 

Celestial  . 

65 

Advice  to  Purchasers 

. 

77 

Cuba 

64 

Avadavat . 

. 

. 

62 

' Cause  of  Disease 

20 

Amandava 

, 

. 

64 

Colds 

20,  21 

Australian  Paroquets 

56 

Costiveness 

22 

For  treatment, 

see  Parrot . 

53 

Claws,  require  cutting 

24 

Ants’  Eggs 

. 

. 

43 

Caged  Prisoner 

79 

Appetite,  loss  of 

. 

24 

Cracked  Corn  . 

7i 

Aldom’s  Spring  Perch, 

Cracked  Wheat 

71 

end  of  book  and  81 

Cannon,  Birds  fire 

76 

Aquarium,  end  of  book 

“ 81 

Cleansing  Brass  Cages 

82 

Artificial  Mother,  end  of  book 

“ 81 

Crowley,  David 

7l 

Adams’s  Express 

• 

• 

• 

72 

Cage,  one  suitable 

80 

Breeding,  Establishment  of  C. 

Diamond  Sparrow 

65 

Reiche 

18 

Diarrhoea  . 

22,  45' 

Bulfinch  . . 

32 

Dogs,  Diseases  and  Training, 

Black-Cap 

38 

end  of  book 

Blackbird  . 

41 

Brazilian  Cardinal 

57 

Egg-bound  • 

. 

. 

22 

Bobolink  . 

47 

Egg-paste 

. 

. 

21 

Bishop-finch 

67 

Epilepsy.  . 

. 

. 

24 

Banded  Finch  . 

64 

Eggs,  Price  of  . 

end  of  book 

Bird-Lice 

23.  45 

Express,  Safety  of 

. 

71 

Best  Singers  . 

79 

Bird-Seed 

69 

Fire-Bird  . 

. 

50 

Bird-Cages  • 

80 

Fire-Finch 

# 

. 

64 

BreedingfCages 

27 

Fascinated  Finch 

, 

. 

65 

Bird  Call  . 

74 

Finches  for  Aviary 

. 

. 

62 

Birds’  Prison-life 

79  1 

Female  Canary,  will  mate  with. 

27 

Food  for  Birds . 

26 

Canary  . • 

17  ' 

Fountain 

end  of  book. 

Canary,  Longbreed 

3o  j 

Cardinal  P>ird  . 

47 

Goldfinch  . 

. 

. 

3i>  34 

Cardinal  Brazilian 

57  1 

Goldfinch  Mules 

. 

35 

Chaffinch  . 

30.  37 

Goldfinch  Diseases 

. 

. 

35 

Courdon  Bluefinch 

62 

Grosbeak,  Rose-breasted. 

• 

49 

3 


4 


CONTENTS. 


PAGE. 


Grosbeak.  Cardinal  . 

47 

German  Rape-seed  . 

69 

Gunther,  G.  . . . 

Gravel  Paper  (Singers)  . 

81 

Good  behavior  . 

75 

Hatching-Birds 

28 

Handsome  Birds,  how  raised 

26 

Hartz  Mountains 

18 

Hemp-Seed 

69 

Hildreth  and  Rice  . 

Indigo-Bird  . . 

43 

Indian  Sparrow 

65 

Indian  Silver-bill 

63 

Insects  for  soft-bill  Birds  . 

43 

Incubator  ...» 

Java  Sparrow  . 

58 

Lark,  Sky  and  Wood  . 

39 

Linnet,  Gray  or  Green  . 

3°j  36 

Linnet,  Red 

51 

Little  Doctor  (finch) 

65 

Loss  of  voice  . 

21 

Lice  on  Birds  . . . 

23  > 45 

Lindeman’s  Cages  . • 

Ladies’  Dress  . . 

79 

Mocking-bird  . . . * 

42 

Magpie-finch  . 

65 

Moulting,  when  a bird  should 

23,  29 

Mating  Birds  . . . 

26,  28 

Mating  Fever  . 

25<  45 

My  Bird  is  Sick 

20 

Mockingbird-food  . 

43 

Maw-Seed 

70 

Meal  Worms,  how  raised. 

44 

Nightingale 

37 

Nonpareil. 

48 

Negro  Finch  . 

64 

Nun  “ . . . 

65 

Osborn’s  Cages  . » 

Parrot,  Gray  and  Green  . 

52 

“ Yellow  head 

52 

“ Suitable  food 

53 

“ Pulling  out  Feathers 

53 

“ Diarrhoea 

54 

“ Sore -feet 

55 

“ Lice  and  Fits 

55 

Paroquets,  for  Treatment,  see 

Parrot. 

Paradise  Whydah  Bird  . 

66 

Patience  in  Training  . . 

73 

Paddy-seed  . . . . 

7i 

PAGE 


Postage  on  Seed 

71 

Poor  Luck  with  Birds 

23 

Queen  Island  Finch 

64 

Quaker  Finch  . . 

63 

Ra  sing  Birds  . 

25 

Robin  Redbreast  (Engli 

sh) 

40 

Robin  (American)  . 

49 

Robin,  Golden  . 

5° 

Red  Bird  . 

47 

Rockhampton  Finch 

64 

Red-tail  . . . 

63 

Ringing  a Bell . • 

77 

Song  most  admired  . 

19 

Siskin 

3b  37 

Song-Sparrow  . 

50 

Sparrow,  Java  . 

58 

Sparrow,  English 

58 

Poem  on  . 

60,  61 

Starling  . 

42 

Spotted-sided  Finch 

65 

Saffron  . • 

64 

Silver-bill 

63 

St.  Helena  Wax-bill 

62 

Spice-bird 

63 

Sexual  Desire  . 

19 

Selecting  Birds  . . 

77 

“Smothering”  Birds 

82 

Seed  for  Birds  . 

69 

“ Sicily  Canary 

69 

“ German  Rape 

69 

“ Hemp . 

69 

“ Millet.  . . 

7i 

“ Maw,  or  Poppy 

7C 

“ Paddy . 

70 

“ Cracked  Corn 

71 

“ “ Wheat 

7i 

Spring  Perch  . 

81 

Singer’s  Gravel  Paper 

ook 

Temperature  for  a Bird 
Troopial,  South  America 

21 

n 

3b  56 

Thrush,  Song  . 

41 

Taming  Birds  . 

73 

Training  “ . . 

73 

Teaching  “ . 

73 

Virginia  Nightingale 

47 

Waxbill 

62 

Wrapping  up  Birds  . 

82 

Young  Birds  • • 

26 

Yellow-birds  • • 

50 

Your  Bird-store  • 

78 

PAGE. 


ifirds  will  not  Bathe 

• 85 

“ Desert  their  Young 

. 86 

“ Brought  up  by  Hand 

86 

“ Bristle  up 

• 84 

“ Bathe  whilst  mated 

. 87 

Bird-Lime 

. 90 

Eggs,  Birds  eat  them 

. 85 

Feathers  off  Head  . 

. 83 

' • » 

PAGE. 


Nightingale  . . . 

87 

Swollen  and  Sore  Limbs 

89 

Sky  and  Wood  Lark 

88 

Scales  on  Limbs 

89 

Sparrow,  English  . . 

88 

Sore  Feet 

84 

Saffron  .... 

90 

Trapping  Birds  . 

89 

Trap- Cage  . • 

90 

s 


There  are  few  persons  who  have  not,  during 
some  portion  of  their  lives,  nourished  and  cherished 

a pet  of  some  kind ; and  birds,  from  their  elegant 

# 

and  beautiful  coloring,  the  graceful  ease  of  their 
flight,  their  beautiful  music,  their  tender  solicitude 
for  their  young,  their  susceptibility  of  domestication, 
and  engaging  instincts,  have  for  ages  attracted  the 
universal  attention  of  the  human  family ; and  to 
those  who  treat  them  kindly  they  become  greatly 
attached,  and  manifest  much  affection,  and  without 
doubt  stand  foremost  of  the  entire  range  of  ani- 
mated nature. 

To  those  who  love  these,  “ God’s  joyous  warblers/' 
the  succeeding  pages  of  this  book  are  dedicated 
If  the  bird-fancier  of  mature  years  or  the  younger 
student  in  ornithology  can  find  one  new  idea,  or  if 
our  little  caged  prisoner  can  be  made  more  happy, 

6 


PREFACE. 


7 


or  the  causes  of  its  illness  removed,  or  the  prop- 
agation of  caged  birds  be  reduced  to  a satisfactory 
result,  — then  the  work  of  the  author  has  not  been 
in  vain. 

The  publication  of  this  book  has  been  in  the 
author’s  mind  for  many  years  ; and  it  is  now  placed 
before  the  public,  not  with  the  finish  of  the  classical 
scholar,  but  of  as  an  every-day  affair  of  life.  In 
its  arrangement,  I do  not  claim  to  have  consulted 
any  authors,  either  ancient  or  modern,  and  believe 
the  pages  devoted  to  the  mocking-bird  and  parrot 
to  be  the  first  treatment  ever  written  on  these  much- 
loved and  universally-kept  birds. 

Before  closing  these  prefatory  remarks,  I would 
embrace  the  opportunity  here  offered  to  thank  the 
numerous  admirers  of  the  “ bird  family  ” with  whom 
I have  been  brought  into  business  relations  during 
the  last  three  years  for  their  admiration  of  the 
feathered  pets  intrusted  to  my  care,  and  would 
modestly  suggest  the  hope  that  their  interest  may 
ever  continue. 

To  the  gentlemen  of  the  press  in  Boston  and  the 
New-England  States,  I am  under  obligations  that 
cannot  easily  be  set  aside.  Had  it  not  been  for  their 
earnest  efforts  in  behalf  of  the 


Little  dewdrops  of  celestial  melody,1 


8 


PREFACE. 


my  efforts  would  have  indeed  been  futile.  It  is  a 
pleasure  for  me  to  here  publicly  express  the  in- 
debtedness under  which  I am  placed,  and  to  beg 
that  they  will,  one  and  all,  accept  the  heartfelt 
thanks  of 

THE  AUTHOR 


PREFACE  TO  THE  SECOND  EDITION. 


It  is  scarcely  two  months  since  the  author  pre- 
sented to  the  public  the  results  of  his  labors.  He 
then  printed  an  edition  of  five  thousand  copies  ; and, 
being  thus  early  called  upon  for  a second  edition,  he 
embraces  this  opportunity  to  revise,  where  revision  is 
necessary,  the  text  of  his  first  work. 

There  have  been  many  additions  made,  which  will 
be  found  in  the  Appendix.  These  additions  have 
been,  in  part,  suggested  by  those  who  have  consulted 
the  first  edition  ; and  the  author,  in  returning  his 
thanks  for  such  assistance,  cannot  refrain  from  ex- 
pressing the  great  satisfaction  afforded  him  by  the 
conviction  that  the  work  has  filled  a place  in  the 
niche  of  natural  history  that  has  for  so  long  a time 
been  only  partially  filled.  The  lovers  of  the  feath- 
ered creation  have  shown  their  appreciation  of  his 
efforts,  and  their  admiration  of  the  wonderful  works 

9 


IO  PREFACE  TO  SECOND  EDITION. 

of  God,  by  the  constantly-increasing  demand  and 
extended  inquiries  in  regard  to  the  peculiarities  of  the 
various  birds  of  song  and  plumage. 

The  departure  made  by  the  author,  in  his  first 
edition,  in  not  following  all  previous  writers,  by 
giving  uninteresting  scientific  descriptions  of  the 
various  birds,  has  met  the  full  approval  of  the 
public. 

While  he  will  ever  respect  and  admire  the  writings 
of  Wilson,  Audubon,  Samuels,  and  other  American 
ornithologists,  and  read  with  reverence  the  writings 
of  those  eminent  German  naturalists,  Bartlett,  Dr. 
Brehn,  Reiche,  Bodinus,  Cabanis,  Cronan,  Finsch, 
Geoffroy,  Girtanner,  Grassner,  A von  Homeyer,  Adolf, 
and  Carl  Muller,  Bekemans,  and  very  many  others, 
still,  at  the  present  time,  in  this  fast  American  age, 
the  public  desire  results  condensed  to  the  fewest 
possible  words  ; and,  if  the  author  has  succeeded  in 
giving  to  the  demand  just  what  it  desired,  then  his 
wish  has  been  fully  realized. 

The  book  is  now  presented  to  the  bird-lovers  of 
America ; and  the  author  has  reasons  for  believing 
that  all  information  ever  desired  in  regard  to  cage- 
birds  can  be  found  within  its  pages. 


Boston,  September , 1873. 


PREFACE  TO  THE  THIRD  EDITION. 


In  issuing  the  third  edition,  I have  but  few 
prefatory  observations  to  make.  There  has  been  a 
revision  of  seventeen  plates  of  the  first  edition,  and 
six  new  plates  added,  commencing  at  page  90.  On 
pages  91,  92,  will  be  found  the  English,  the  scien- 
tific, and  German  name  of  birds,  so  far  as  known. 
The  scientific  names  were  obtained  from  undoubted 
authority ; and  the  German  names,  from  the 
esteemed  book-keeper  of  our  New-York  house. 
Pages  93,  9^  95,  and  96,  are  complete  price-lists ; 
and  are  here  inserted  to  prevent,  if  possible,  the 
annoyance  to  which  many  have  been  subjected  in 
writing  for  prices  of  the  various  birds  so  mentioned 
in  the  body  of  this  work. 

With  the  aid  of  the  press  of  Boston  and  vicinity, 
I have  succeeded  in  selling  this  manual  at  the  rate 
of  over  one  thousand  copies  per  month;  and  I 
desire,  for  the  first  time,  to  publicly  thank  the 
editorial  fraternity  for  the  very  flattering  reviews 
they  have  given  of  the  former  editions. 

Boston,  February,  1874. 


11 


INTRODUCTION. 


The  author  has  studiously  avoided  in  this  work 
the  habit,  or  error,  of  all  other  authors  on  works  of 
a similar  character,  — of  copying  bodily  from  Bech- 
stein  and  other  European  authors  ; and  as  this  error 
has  been  repeatedly  made,  and  the  history  of  the 
discovery  of  the  canary-bird,  &c.,  told  so  many 
times,  this  Introduction  will  bring  before  the  public 
Messrs.  Charles  and  Henry  Reiche,  to  whom 
every  portion  of  the  civilized  world  is  indebted  for 
birds  of  song  from  foreign  countries  as  well  as  its 
own. 

In  the  spring  of  1842,  Mr.  Charles  Reiche  ven- 
tured to  export  birds  from  Germany  to  America,  it 
being  the  first  enterprise  of  the  kind  that  had  ever 
been  undertaken.  Of  course  they  had  to  be  sent 
in  a sailing-vessel  ; and  the  voyage  lasted  several 
months,  landing  the  first  importation  of  canaries 
that  ever  reached  America,  in  quantity  sufficient 
to  call  it  an  importation,  at  New  Orleans.  But  the 


INTRODUCTION. 


13 


taste  for  foreign,  and  especially  German,  singing- 
birds  was  as  yet  only  shared  by  a few ; and  it  re- 
quired the  most  strenuous  exertions  to  dispose  of 
this  first  lot  of  one  thousand. 

There  were  no  cages  to  be  had,  and  there  was  a 
great  scarcity  of  bird-food  : the  people  did  not  know 
how  to  treat  them,  and  failed  to  appreciate  their 
music  ; but  it  required  only  a few  years  to  change  all 
this,  and  the  fashion  of  keeping  singing-birds  is  now 
universal  and  constantly  increasing. 

In  1843  the  second  exportation  of  birds  was  made  ; 
part  being  landed  in  Charleston,  S.C.,  and  part  in 
New-York  City.  This  was  a successful  operation  ; 
and  in  1846  Mr.  Charles  Reiche  associated  with 
him  his  brother  Henry,  and  the  "business  of  export- 
ing birds  began  to  be  carried  on  in  a strictly  system- 
atic manner,  and  was  encouraged  by  a constantly- 
increasing  sale. 

In  1849  the  first  large  lot  of  birds  was  landed  in 
Boston  ; and  the  formerly  well-known  bird-store  in 
Scollay’s  Building  was  opened  by  Mr.  Henry  Reiche, 
who,  after  a most  successful  business,  sold  out  to  the 
late  well-known  Henry  Bradshaw,  who  for  so  many 
years  dealt  in  baked  beans,  birds,  doughnuts,  cages, 
soft-bottom  apple-pies,  and  bird-seed,  in  a stall  ad- 
joining the  fish  department  in  Quincy  Market. 

In  1852  the  now  well-known  Mr.  Henry  Reiche, 
of  55  Chatham  Street,  New  York,  made  his  Jirst  trip 
to  California  via  the  Old  Nicaragua  Route,  start- 
ing with  an  invoice  composed  in  part  of  canaries, 
goldfinches,  and  bulfinches,  the  total  value  of  the 


14 


INTRODUCTION. 


shipment  being  thirteen  hundred  and  fifty  dollars. 
After  all  kinds  of  ill-luck,  and  the  discouraging  ad- 
vice of  his  brother  Charles,  some  eight  years  his 
senior,  who  looked  upon  the  speculation  as  one  that 
must  prove  a total  loss,  he,  neither  discouraged  nor 
disheartened,  started  on  his  (then  a long)  journey, 
and  reached  California  with  half  the  number  of  birds 
he  started  with,  — a stranger  and  in  a strange  land. 
But  imagine  his  surprise  and  delight  at  hearing  his 
name  called  out  from  a window  in  the  Bank  of 
California  by  a clerk,  formerly  an  old  resident  of 
Boston,  who,  after  the  ordinary  congratulations, 
told  him  “he  had  struck  gold.”  And  indeed  it  so 
proved,  for  none  of  his  birds  were  sold  for  less  than 
twenty  dollars,  many  for  a much  larger  sum ; and, 
losing  but  one  steamer,  he  returned  to  New  York, 
and  counted  out  to  his  brother  over  five  thousand 
dollars  in  gold.  This  cash  was  then  as  much  to 
them  as  is  fifty  thousand  dollars  to-day:  it  gave 
them  their  first  start  in  business  in  a large  way. 

In  1853  there  were  10,000  birds  imported;  in 
i860,  15,000  ; in  1865,  30,000  ; and  the  imports  since 
July,  1872,  of  canaries  alone,  amount  to  65,000. 
And,  when  it  is  known  that  the  total  number  raised 
for  the  American  market  cannot  exceed  95,000,  it 
leaves  the  house  of  Reiche  the  bird-dealers  for 
America.  And  it  is  not  canaries  alone,  but  all 
other  kinds  of  European  birds  of  song  and  plumage, 
which  were  imported  this  bird-year,  1872-73,  to  the 
number  of  15,000. 

The  greatest  drawback  to  the  Messrs.  Reiche  in 


INTRODUCTION. 


IS 


their  early  days  was  to  find  cages  of  any  kind,  much 
more  those  of  a suitable  kind. 

A short  time,  however,  was  only  required  to  con- 
vince wire-workers  of  their  necessity  and  profit  as 
an  article  of  commerce ; and  bird-cages  were  at 
once  a part  of  the  product  of  most  workers  in  wire. 
This  cage-business  has  become  of  such  immense 
dimensions,  that  several  large  firms  are  constantly 
engaged  in  their  manufacture,  employing  hundreds 
of  operatives,  and  using  a capital  of  nearly  a quarter 
of  a million  of  dollars. 

But  it  is  not  the  trade  with  birds  in  North 
America  alone  that  has  attracted  their  attention  ; 
for,  aside  from  the  thousands  annually  sold  in  Ger- 
many, many  thousands  each  year  find  their  way  to 
England  and  Russia,  and  quite  as  many  are  every 
year  exported  to  South  America,  to  the  Indies,  and 
Australia;  so  that  from  200,000  to  250,000  canary- 
birds  are  exported  from  Germany  to  trans-oceanic 
ports  every  year. 

In  the  month  of  January,  1873,  Mr.  Henry  Reiche 
sent,  in  charge  of  several  competent  men,  a carload 
of  birds  and  cages  to  Salt  Lake,  Denver  City,  and 
other  places  in  that  vicinity;  and,  aside  from  his 
early  California  experience,  these  were  the  first 
birds  that  were  ever  shipped  west  of  the  Mississippi 
River. 

Messrs.  Reiche  may  well  look  back  with  pride  at 
the  time  when  they  first  commenced  business ; the 
base  of  their  operations  being  St.  Petersburg, 
Russia.  Since  that  time,  they  have  sent  birds  to 


i6 


INTRODUCTION. 


Lisbon,  Rome,  Turkey,  Cape-Town,  Bombay,  Cal- 
cutta, Singapore,  Pekin,  Melbourne,  Sydney,  and 
other  prominent  places  in  the  Eastern  Hemisphere  ; 
and  to  Lima,  Peru,  Rio  Janeiro,  Venezuela,  and 
other  places  in  South  America,  as  well  as  to  the 
more  prominent  points  in  the  West  Indies ; and 
from  all  of  which  places,  not  omitting  Japan,  they 
have  always  brought  back  beautiful  birds. 

These  two  brothers  have  made  three  trips  round 
the  world  ; and  the  elder  one,  Mr.  Charles  Reiche, 
is  now,  and  has  been  since  1858,  permanently 
located  at  Alfeld,  Germany ; and  Mr.  Henry  Reiche, 
with  a sufficient  accumulation  of  this  world’s  goods, 
makes  his  permanent  home  in  New  York.  He  is  at 
No.  55,  Chatham  Street,  daily;  and  his  frequent 
companions  during  the  winter  and  early  spring  are 
the  great  showmen  of  America,  who  are  constantly 
importing  animals  through  this  firm,  who  are  the 
only  animal-dealers  in  America. 

Without  offering  an  apology  for  the  seeming 
length  of  this  Introduction,  the  author  feels  that 
those  who  have  been  so  instrumental  in  making 
many  firesides  happy  are  at  least  entitled  to  suffi- 
cient prominence  to  record,  for  the  first  time,  the 
important  part  they  have  taken  in  supplying  to  the 
world  “ God’s  sweet  and  joyous  warblers.” 


The  Canary. 


The  original  home  of  this  bird  is  the  Canary 
Islands,  where,  in  the  later  part  of  the  fifteenth 
century,  they  were  wont  to  breed  on  the  banks  of 
the  island  rivulets,  and  would  have  continued  so  to 
do,  had  not  bird-catchers  (there  were  bird-catchers 
even  in  those  days)  trapped  them,  and  sent  them  to 
various  parts  of  Europe,  mostly,  however,  into  Ger- 
many, where,  as  you  have  been  informed  in  the 
Introduction,  they  have  been  massed,  and  exported 
to  all  parts  of  the  habitable  globe.  And  we  might 
with  truth  say,  that,  among  the  musicians  who  come 
to  our  shores  to  charm  us  with  their  notes,  the 
largest  orchestra  is  that  of  the  singing-birds.  They 
ask  very  little  of  our  money,  and  never  demand  a 
Music  Hall  as  the  only  theatre  worthy  their  per- 
formance. A few  dollars  will  buy  Qne  of  these 
sweet  singers,  and  a few  more  will  build  or  buy 
a Music  Hall  for  its  performances.  It  charges 
2*  17 


THE  CANARY. 


18 

nothing  for  its  singing,  and  is  not  fastidious  as  to  its 
accommodations,  carolling  just  as  sweetly  in  the 
attic  of  the  tired  sewing-woman  as  in  the  boudoir 
of  the  fashionable  lady.  It  becomes  a friend  to  the 
lonely,  and  a comforter  to  such  as  are  in  trouble. 
From  his  cage,  as  well  as  from  the  wildwood,  it 
sings  of  the  love  and  care  of  Him  without  whose 
knowledge  not  one  of  its  feathered  friends  can  fall 
to  the  ground.  Like  flowers,  birds  are  a beautiful 
gift  to  a friend,  with  this  advantage  over  them,  — 
they  live  longer,  and,  by  their  constant  voice,  recall  to 
mind  the  giver.  Very  few  persons  have  any  idea  of 
the  trade  carried  on  in  these  frail  wares  between 
our  own  and  foreign  countries  ; and  how  few  of  our 
readers  that  are  the  possessors  of  some  favorite 
songster  ever  gave  a moment’s  thought  to  where 
they  come  from  or  how  they  came ! We  refer  now 
to  that  established,  universal  favorite,  the  canary. 
Reader,  let  me  take  you  across  the  Atlantic  to  Ger- 
many, to  a famous  place  called  the  Hartz  Moun- 
tains. And  now  that  you  are  here  with  us,  we  will 
take  you  to  the  immense  breeding-establishment  of 
Mr.  Charles  Reiche,  which,  in  its  arrangements,  is 
similar  to  all  other  establishments.  Here  you  will 
observe  a quantity  of  rooms  arranged  very  much 
after  the  style  of  the  sleeping-apartments  of  a hotel. 
Each  of  the  rooms  is  properly  furnished  with  light, 
ventilation,  a quantity  of  small  trees,  feeding-boxes, 
water  for  bathing  and  drinking,  and  on  the  sides  of 
the  room  a quantity  of  nests,  and  the  floor  covered 
with  fine  sand  to  the  depth  of  three  or  more  inches. 


THE  CANARY. 


19 


111  this  room  are  placed  twenty  or  more  male  birds, 
and  three  times  their  number  of  females  ; and  from 
this  large  feminine  family  every  male  chooses  his 
mate,  — and,  reader,  don’t  blush,  for  some  of  them 
choose  even  three  and  four  mates,  — all  of  which  will 
hatch  their  young  peacefully,  and  live  one  large, 
happy  family  together.  The  young  birds  (males)  are 
taken  at  the  age  of  six  weeks,  as  they  can  then  crack 
seed  (and  we  will  here  remark,  that,  when  they  are 
fully  feathered,  they  commence  to  warble  ; that  is, 
they  fill  their  throats  in  the  same  manner  as  an  old 
singing-bird  : and  this  is  the  only  way  that  male  birds 
can  be  told  from  females  when  so  very  young),  and 
placed  in  large  cages,  say  twenty-five  birds  to  a 
cage,  and  kept  in  rooms  (these  rooms  hold  about 
twenty  such  cages)  until  they  are  through  moulting ; 
for  a young  bird,  as  soon  as  he  is  in  full  feather, 
commences  to  moult,  or  shed  his  body  feathers  : his 
tail  and  wing  feathers  he  sheds  the  second  season. 
This  moulting  process  requires  about  six  weeks,  after 
which  they  are  taken  into  a room  away  from  the 
sound  of  all  singing  canaries,  this  room  only  having 
a small  opening  in  the  top ; and  in  the  room  above 
them  there  is  kept  a nightingale,  skylark,  or  some 
other  fine  whistling  bird,  the  best  of  his  species, 
who  acts  as  instructor  for  the  young  birds  ; and  it  is 
from  this  instructor  that  they  get  these  beautiful 
notes,  the  bow-trill,  the  bell-note,  the  flute,  the 
water-note,  &c.,  which  are  so  much  admired.  At 
the  age  of  six  months  they  become  adepts  at  sing- 
ing, and  are  then  taken  to  the  immense  warehouse 


20 


CARE  OF  CANARY. 


of  Charles  Reiche  & Bro.,  situated  at  Alfeld,  Ger- 
many, and  placed  in  the  little  willow  cage£  seen 
in  all  bird-stores,  seven  birds  in  a row  or  string. 
They  are  then  placed  in  boxes  or  crates,  four  rows 
wide  and  six  rows  high,  or  a hundred  and  sixty- 
eight  birds  to  a crate.  They  are  then  sent,  in  charge 
of  a competent  man,  — who  ordinarily  takes  twelve 
hundred  birds,  — overland  to  Bremen  or  Hamburg, 
and  then  shipped  to  the  New-York  house  of  Charles 
Reiche  & Bro.,  located  at  55  Chatham  Street.  The 
birds  are  cleaned,  fed,  and  watered  every  day.  And 
for  this  ocean  business  the  Messrs.  Reiche  keep  no 
less  than  eighteen  men  constantly  employed. 

The  very  general  desire  of  the  public  to  know 
how  to  take  the  best  possible  care  of  their  pets,  and 
the  wish  of  the  whole  bird-trade  for  a treatise  that 
could  be  implicitly  relied  upon,  free  from  all  the 
scientific  attainments  so  freely  shown  in  large  works, 
and  at  a popular  price,  has  led  the  author  to  publish 
what  has  been  his  own  experience  through  a num- 
ber of  years. 

First,  we  will  commence  with  sick  birds  and  their 
treatment.  “ My  bird  is  sick  : what  shall  I do  for 
it  ? ” This  question  is  asked  at  the  bird-stores  times 
without  number  daily ; and  it  is  just  as  easy  an- 
swered, without  knowing  uhat  ails  the  bird \ as  it  is 
for  a physician  to  prescribe  accurately  for  a disease 
when  simply  informed  that  a member  of  the  family 
is  sick,  “ and  please  send  up  some  medicine  at 
once.” 

The  Cause  of  most  Disease  is  colds,  which  are 


LOSS  .OF  VOICE. 


21 


occasioned  by  either  hanging  a bird  in  a draught  of 
air,  near  a loose-fitting  window,  or  keeping  him  in  a 
very  hot  room  (sixty  degrees  is  the  proper  tempera- 
ture for  a bird)  through  the  day,  and  then  in  a cool 
one  at  night,  — a variation  of  perhaps  forty  degrees 
in  twenty-four  hours.  This  cold,  if  not  cured  at 
once,  leads  to  asthma,  and  from  that  to  a disease 
known  as  the  gapes.  The  best  cure  for  the  cold  is 
to  feed,  in  addition  to  their  regular  seed,  rape  and 
canary  (no  hemp),  a paste  made  from  a hard-boiled 
egg  and  one  pulverized  cracker,  thoroughly  mixed 
together,  the  same  as  you  feed  to  birds  when  sitting. 
Sometimes  a bird  seems  hoarse,  and  apparently  has 
Lost  his  Voice. — This  is  occasioned  by  over- 
singing : a little  pure  rock-candy,*  not  flavored,  dis- 
solved in  the  drinking-water,  and  a few  kernels  of 
red  pepper  put  into  the  paste  described  above,  will 
usually  effect  a cure.  If,  however,  the  cold  is  al- 
lowed to  rertiain  for  several  days  without  any  atten- 
tion or  cure,  it  will  pass  rapidly  from  cold  to  asthma, 
and  from  that  to  gapes,  which  is  best  described  by 
saying  that  the  bird  looks  like  a little  puff-ball,  with 
a constant  panting,  and  his  bill  almost  constantly 
opening  and  shutting,  as  if  to  catch  breath.  His 
food  should  be  the  same  as  described  above.  Many 
bird-fanciers  h*ave  given  small  pieces  of  salt-pork  with 
a quantity  of  red  pepper  thereon,  and  with  beneficial 
effect.  Messrs.  Charles  Reiche  & Bro.,  however, 
can  say,  that  with  nearly  forty  years’  experience  as 
bird-fanciers,  importers,  and  dealers,  they  have,  as 
yet,  never  found  a cure  for  this  disease. 


22 


DIARRHCEA. EGG-BOUND. 


Birds  troubled  with  a Diarrhoea  can  be  greatly 
relieved,  and  many  times  a permanent  cure  effected, 
by  placing  a rusty  nail  in  their  drinking-water  ; and, 
should  a bird  be  troubled  with  the  reverse  of  this 
complaint,  — costiveness,  — apiece  of  sweet  apple,  a 
little  chickweed,  lettuce,  or  any  green  food^will  usually 
afford  full  relief.  Most  ailments  of  birds  commence 
with  a cold  ; and  the  old  adage  of  the ' “ ounce  of 
prevention,”  &c.,  is  peculiarly  applicable  to  the  bird 
family. 

Dealers  in  birds  are  constantly  visited  by  owners 
of  feathered  pets  to  seek  information  on  a subject 
to  which  their  human  instinct  should  furnish  the 
answer.  This  is  particularly  the  case  in  breeding- 
season  ; and  a question  asked  daily  is,  — 

“ My  Bird  is  Egg-bound  : what  shall  I do  for  it  ? ” 
A few  questions  from  the  dealer  reveals  the  fact  that 
the  female  has  been  fed  upon  dry  seed  and  food  of 
a clogging  nature  ; and  the  information  gtven  at  once 
is,  Feed  your  bird  some  green  stuff  or  a piece  of 
apple,  thereby  loosening  it  (which  should  have  been 
done  before  mating),  and,  carefully  taking  the  bird 
out,  rub  the  passage  gently  with  warm  sweet-oil. 
At  times  birds  are  egg-bound  from  having  taken 
cold  : should  this  be  the  case,  apply  also  the  reme- 
dies for  a cold. 

Birds,  when  proper  care  is  taken  of  them,  are 
rarely  attacked  with  disease.  If  owners  of  feathered 
pets  would  first  see  that  the  cage  is  perfectly  clean 
and  well  supplied  with  plenty  of  gravel  or  gravel- 
paper  for  the  bird  to  pick  upon,  and  that  the  seed 


LICE. MOULTING. 


23 


is  of  the  very  best  quality,  and  that  they  are  fed  and 
given  a bath  at  a regular  hour  daily,  — then  your 
birds,  if  kept  from  draughts  of  air,  and  no  trash,  such 
as  sugar,  candy,  figs,  raisins,  cake,  &c.,  fed  .them,  will 
sing  from  ten  to  eleven  months  out  of  the  year, 
which  they  always  do  with  the  poor  families  in  Ger- 
many, who  find  it  impossible  to  get  such  luxuries. 
It  is  only  the  wealthy  and  better  classes  that  have  so- 
called  “ poor  luck  with  birds.”  And  why  ? Because 
they  kill  them  with  kindness,  — though  it  is  very  un- 
kind to  the  bird,  — never,  never  by  neglect. 

One  source  of  great  annoyance  to  a bird  and 
also  to  his  owner  is  the 

Little  Red  Bird-lice.  — Messrs.  Reiche  now  put 
up  a powder  which  can  be  sprinkled  on  the  bottom 
of  the  cage,  and  effectually  rid  the  bird  of  these 
annoying  pests.  It  is  put  up  in  envelopes,  and  will 
be  sent  to  any  address  by  mail,  prepaid,  on  receipt 
of  twenty-five  cents. 

Another  way  to  rid  the  bird  of  them  is  to  place  at 
night  a white  towel  on  top  of  the  cage  ; and,  when 
you  arise  in  the  morning,  you  will  find  it  well  cov- 
ered. These  should  be  shaken  into  the  stove,  and 
the  same  thing  repeated  every  night ; and  in  two 
weeks,  at  farthest,  you  will  be  entirely  free  from 
them. 

A question  often  asked  is,  — 

When  should  a Bird  moult?  — Most  birds  shed 
their  feathers  in  the  months  of  September  and  Oc- 
tober ; and  though  it  is  perfectly  natural  for  them  so 
to  do,  still  the  operation  is  accompanied  with  a 


24  BIRDS’  CLAWS.  — LOSS  OF  APPETITE. 

slight  disease.  They  should  be  fed  on  the  soft  paste 
before  described ; and,  as  they  are  not  well  covered 
with  feathers,  great  care  should  be  taken  to  keep 
them  out  of  all  draughts  of  air,  but  kept  where  it 
is  comfortably  warm.  With  these  precautions,  a 
bird  will  fully  moult  in  from  four  to  six  weeks. 
Should  a bird  not  shed  his  wing  and  tail  feathers 
readily,  it  is  well  to  pull  them  out,  — pulling,  how- 
ever, only  one  at  a time. 

It  often  happens  that  a 

Bird’s  Claws  grow  very  long,  and  require  cut- 
ting. This  is  a particular  operation  ; and  care  should 
be  taken  not  to  cut  up  into  the  blood-veins,  which 
can  be  easily  seen  by  holding  the  bird’s  claw  in 
front  of  a strong  light,  and  then  not  cutting  within 
at  least  a sixteenth  of  an  inch  of  the  red  vein. 

Occasionally  a canary  is  troubled  with  epilepsy. 
A sure  cure  for  this  has  never  been  discovered. 
The  author  has  taken  a bulfinch  and  other  birds  af- 
fected, and  cut  the  birds’  claws,  — one  on  each  foot, 
— just  sufficient  to  draw  the  blood,  and,  holding  the 
foot  in  warm  (not  hot)  water  until  the  blood  ceased 
to  flow;  then  a slight  sprinkling  — with  the  hand  — 
with  cold  water : feeding  only  on  rape-seed  which 
had  been  previously  soaked  in  water,  and  a liberal 
supply  of  apple  and  green-stuff,  as  recommended 
above,  has  generally  effected  a cure. 

During  and  after  moulting,  and  sometimes  after 
breeding,  a bird  will  seem  to  have 

Lost  his  Appetite.  — At  such  times,  it  is  well  to 
give  a very  little  hemp,  and  all  the  millet-seed  a 


MATING  FEVER. RAISING  BIRDS. 


25 


bird  will  eat ; and,  if  convenient,  change  the  loca- 
tion of  his  cage  to  a more  cheerful  place. 

From  the  14th  of  February  to  the  middle  of  May, 
all  birds  have  what  is  known  as  the 

Mating  Fever.  — This  fever,  or  sexual  desire,  is 
the  strongest  during  the  latter  part  of  April  and 
early  in  May ; and,  if  not  mated,  they  sit  moping 
with  ruffled  feathers,  cease  singing  entirely,  refuse 
their  food,  and  often,  in  their  silent  sorrow,  pine 
away  and  die.  If  their  attention  can  be  diverted 
from  this  “ lovesickness,”  it  should  always  be  done. 
The  better  cure  is  to  mate  your  bird.  If  this  is 
inconvenient,  place  him  in  the  cheerful  sunlight, 
tempt  him  with  dainty  morsels  of  food,  talk  and 
whistle  to  him;  and,  if  you  have  a friend  who  owns 
a bird,  let  your  bird  visit  him,  and  cheerful  company 
will  soon  restore  him  ; or  a better  way  still  is  to 
leave  him  at  a well-kept  bird-store. 

These  comprise  about  all  the  diseases  that  the 
canary  is  subject  to ; and  we  will  here  state,  that  all 
of  the  family  of  seed-eating  t>irds  have  about  the 
same  ailments,  and  require  similar  treatment. 

As  many  who  own  birds  have  a desire  to  breed 
them,  a little  information  may  not  be  amiss  to  the 
new  beginner. 

Americans  raise  Birds  wholly  for  pleasure ; 
and  it  certainly  is  a pleasure.  What  greater  amuse- 
ment carf  be  furnished  children,  and,  in  fact,  chil- 
dren of  a larger  growth,  than  the  mating  and 
rearing  of  a nest  of  beautiful  young  canaries  ; to 
watch  the  busy  weavers  make  their  nest;  the 
3 


26 


TO  RAISE  A HANDSOME  BIRD. 


constant  care  and  attention  given  to  it  by  the  moth- 
er-bird during  the  season  of  “ sitting,”  who  is  so  regu- 
larly relieved  by  her  loving  mate,  who  ever  and  anon 
covers  the  eggs  while  she  is  seeking  food  or  rest  ? 
Alas ! our  little  canary-bird  has  taught  many  a les- 
son to  the  human  family ; and  the  constancy  of  a 
bird  to  its  mate  is  rarely  equalled  by  the  lords  of 
creation. 

In  mating  Birds,  a young  male  and  old  female 
produce  mostly  male  birds ; and  those  of  about  the 
same  age  produce  about  equal  proportions  of  both 
males  and  females. 

The  food  for  your  birds,  in  addition  to  their  regu- 
lar canary  and  rape  seed,  — no  hemp , — should  be  the 
following:  one  hard-boiled  egg  — the  whole  egg  — 
grated  on  a coarse  horseradish  grater,  and  one 
common  soft  cracker,  rolled  fine  with  a rolling-pin, 
or  carefully  grated,  and  then  mixed  together, 
and  fed  to  the  birds  in  small  quantities  at  least 
twice  per  day ; and  this  food  must  be  continued 
to  the  old  birds  until  you  are  through  breeding; 
and  the  same  food  must  be  continued  to  the 

Young  Birds  until  they  can  crack  seed,  which 
they  can  do  with  ease  at  the  age  of  six  weeks.  It 
is,  however,  an  advantage  to  soak  some  rape-seed, 
and  put  it  in  for  the  young  birds  as  soon  as  they 
leave  the  nest. 

To  produce  a handsome  yellow  Bird,  your  male 
should  be  a Jonquil,  which  is  a deep-yellow  bird 
with  almost  an  orange  crown,  and  the  female  a 
meaty  bird,  which  is  a whitish  yellow,  and  has  the 


MATING  BIRDS. 


2 7 


appearance  of  being  frosted  or  powdered  all  over. 
A clear  yellow  male  and  a mealy  female  will  usually 
produce  a pure  yellow  bird ; while  a clear  yellow 
male  mated  with  a gray  or  green  female  will  usually 
produce  a very  handsome  mottled  bird.  A deep  yel- 
low or  orange-colored  male  with  a very  dark-green 
female  often  produces  the  highly-prized  cinnamon 
bird. 

A Female  Canary  will  mate  with  the  follow- 
ing birds,  and  produce  a very  beautiful  songster, 
which  is  known  as  a mule,  — the  linnet,  goldfinch, 
bulfinch,  siskin,  our  native  bobolink,  indigo  bird, 
and  other  birds  of  a similar  size ; and  the  male 
from  these  birds  is  very  highly  prized  on  account  of 
his  beauty  and  song. 

A suitable  cage  for  breeding  can  be  either  of 
wood,  wired,  or  the  ordinary  japanned  tin  cage,  or 
brass.  Should  you  use  an  old  wooden  cage,  it 
should  be  thoroughly  scalded  with  hot  soda-water, 
to  kill  all  vermin,  and  then  varnished  over.  The 
birds  should  have  a nest  — wire  is  the  best  — se- 
curely fastened  into  one  corner  of  the  cage,  first 
covering  the  nest  with  canton,  or  cotton  and  wool 
flannel,  and  hung  up  against  the  wall,  at  least  a foot 
above  your  head,  and  in  a southern  aspect  if  possi- 
ble, and  not  moved  until  you  are  through  breeding 
for  the  season.  There  should  always  be  placed  in 
the  cage,  from  a wall  of  some  very  old  building  that 
is  being  torn  down,  ,a  piece  of  mortar  to  make  egg- 
shells from,  as,  without  this,  the  female  would  lay 
soft-shell  eggs. 


28 


HOW  HATCHED. 


Another  question  often  asked  at  bird-stores  is, 

“How  DO  YOU  MATE  A PAIR  OF  BlRDS?” The 

reader  is  supposed  to  own  a male  canary.  If  such 
supposition  be  true,  then  go  to  a first-class  bird- 
store,  and  buy  a female  canary  and  breeding-cage  ; 
and  the  very  best  way  to  mate  a pair  of  birds  is  to 
place  the  female  in  the  breeding-cage  and  hang  it 
up  on  one  side  of  the  room ; and,  leaving  the  male 
bird  in  his  cage , hang  him  up  on  the  other  side,  and 
within  sight  of  her.  If  he  sings  and  calls  to  her, 
and  she  calls  back  in  return,  as  much  as  to  say, 
“May  I come  in  your  cage?”  then  you  can  put 
them  together  ; and,  though  they  may  quarrel  at  first, 
this  will  be  only  of  short  duration,  and  they  will 
very  soon  mate. 

After  mating  your  birds,  a period  of  only  seven 
to  eight  days  elapses  before  the  female  commences 
to  lay ; and  she  will  lay  from  four  to  seven  eggs, 
one  each  day,  at  about  the  same  hour,  and  sit  upon 
them  for  thirteen  days,  when  the  operation  of  hatch- 
ing commences ; and  the 

Birds  are  hatched  One  each  Day,  until  all 
the  eggs  are  hatched.  If  it  should  happen  that  one 
or  more  eggs  remain  in  the  nest,  and  do  not  hatch 
at  the  proper  time,  it  would  be  well  to  take  them 
(the  eggs)  out  of  the  nest  carefully,  using  for  this 
purpose  a teaspoon,  so  as  not  to  handle  the  eggs, 
and  hold  them  before  a strong  light ; and,  if  there 
is  the  appearance  of  blood-veins  in  the  egg,  place  it 
back  carefully  ; for  it  may  yet  be  hatched.  If,  upon 
the  other  hand,  the  egg  be  clear  and  transparent,  it 


DOES  A YOUNG  BIRD  MOULT? 


29 


can  be  thrown  away  as  worthless.  It  is  a rule  in 
Europe  to  never  throw  away  an  egg  until  it  has 
been  laid  at  least  twenty-one  days. 

From  the  time  the  young  birds  are  born,  the  male 
bird  helps  feed  them,  if  he  is  a good  father,  and  so 
partially  relieves  the  female.  If  he  should  at  times 
seem  quarrelsome  with  his  mate,  or  show  too  much 
attention  of  a loving  kind  to  her,  it  would  be  well  to 
separate  them,  putting  him  in  his  own  cage  until  the 
young  birds  are  nearly  feathered,  when,  after  they 
have  perched  a few  nights,  they  can  be  removed  to 
other  cages,  and  the  male  returned,  and  another 
brood  raised ; and  the  same  operation  repeated. 
Cases  have  been  known  of  raising  seven  broods  in 
a season. 

We  are  often  asked  the  question,  — 

“ Does  a Young  Bird  moult  ? ” — Our  answer  is, 
Yes.  A young  bird  is  usually  in  full  feather  at  the 
age  of  six  weeks  (we  will  here  state,  that,  when  he 
is  four  weeks  old,  he  will  swell  up  his  throat,  and  try 
to  warble  ; and  by  this  you  can  tell  the.  males  from 
the  females) ; and,  when  he  is  in  full  feather,  he  com- 
mences to  moult,  or  shed  his  body  feathers.  The 
wing  and  tail  feathers  he  does  not  shed  until  the 
second  season : this  process  is  slow  in  a young  bird, 
and  usually  requires  about  eight  weeks  to  change 
all  the  bod^  feathers,  during  all  of  which  time  they 
should  be  fed,  at  least  twice  a week,  on  the  hard- 
boiled  egg  and  cracker,  as  described  above,  and 
kept  out  of  all  draughts  of  air. 

If  your  bird  — the  father  of  the  young  — is  a 
3* 


30 


THE  CHAFFINCH  AND  LINNET. 


good  singer,  the  young  birds  will  learn  readily,  and 
at  the  age  of  six  months  become  fine  songsters. 

The  Longbreed,  or  French  Canary,  has  had 
his  day,  and  is  now  about  “run  out”  in  France. 
His  high,  square  shoulders  give  him  an  ungainly 
appearance ; and  his  great  length  and  delicate  frame 
make  him  a very  weak  bird,  and  not  well  adapted 
for  a parlor  bird ; while,  in  powers  of  song,  he  is 
far,  far  inferior  to  the  short,  or  German  canary,  so 
generally  admired  the  world  over  for  his  exquisite 
song. 

There  is  a very  general  desire  among  all  owners 
of  a canary  for  some  other  bird  that  sings;  and 
how  often  are  bird-dealers  asked  the  question, 
“What  other  kind  of  bird  can  I buy  that  sings 
nicely  ? ” There  are  many  very  beautiful  songsters 
among  the  seed-eating  birds ; and  the  one  that  more, 
perhaps,  has  been  written  about  than  any  other  is 

The  Chaffinch. — Who  that  has  ever  read  the 
letter  of  Michelet  to  his  good  wife,  in  his  work 
entitled  “The  Bird,”  could  have  failed  to  read  his 
vivid  description  of  a poor  blind  chaffinch  that  was 
offered  for  sale  in  the  great  bird  auction-rooms  in 
Paris.  This  bird  had  been  a pet ; and  poverty  in 
the  family  had  compelled  its  sale.  This  bird  is  one 
of  the  many  European  song-birds,  and  for  the 
sweetness  of  his  song,  as  well  as  for  his  sleek  plum- 
age, should  be  generally  kept.  Other  favorite  birds 
are  the 

English  Gray  and  Green  Linnet. — They  are 
both  remarkably  fine  singing,  or  rather  whistling, 


GOLDFINCH,  SISKIN,  AND  TROOPIAL.  3 1 


birds : their  tone  is  very  sweet  and  soft,  and  they 
will  sit  perched  upon  one  limb  for  hours  together, 
and  sing  so  sweetly  that  one  almost  falls  in  love 
with  them.  Two  other  English  birds  very  much 
admired  are  the 

Goldfinch  and  Siskin.  — The  Goldfinch  is  ar 
exquisite  songster,  and,  mated  with  a canary,  pro- 
duces a bird  of  remarkable  beauty,  and  really  a fine 
songster. 

The  Siskin  can  also  be  mated  with  the  canary, 
and  produce  a very  strong  and  hardy  bird,  and  one 
that  is  much  admired  in  Europe. 

All  of  the  above  birds,  as  well  as  the  canary,  are 
taught  tunes  by  the  poorer  classes  in  Germany ; and 
some  of  the  birds  sing,  or  rather  “ pipe,”  their  tune 
as  nicely  as  a boy  could  whistle  it. 

Amongst  the  soft-bill  birds, — those  that  have  a 
long  bill, — there  are  many  beautiful  songsters,  first 
among  which  comes  our  own  loved  American  mock- 
ing-bird. The  bird  which  ranks  next  to  our  mock- 
ing-bird is  the 

South-American  Troopial.  — This  bird  has  a 
beautiful  rich  plumage,  and  looks  very  much  like 
our  American  golden  robin,  or  what  is  known  as 
the  Baltimore  oriole,  the  chief  difference  being  that 
it  is  much  larger  in  size,  and  the  orange  of  the 
body  being  more  of  a yellow.  It  is  one  of  the 
feathered  tribe  of  the  tropics,  gifted  with  great  pow- 
ers of  song;  being  extremely  docile,  they  are  great 
favorites  for  the  cage,  and,  in  confinement,  become 
so  tame  that  they  will  hop  on  your  hand  at  call. 


32 


TROOPIAL  AND  BULFINCH. 


Their  song  is  a very  powerful  yet  pleasant  whistle 
of  clear  and  varied  notes.  They  are  extremely 
active,  and  very  graceful  in  their  movements,  and 
require  a cage  the  same  size  that  a mocking-bird  is 
usually  confined  in. 

Following  this  bird  in  attractive  qualities  of  song, 
come  the  nightingale,  black-cap  warbler,  wood  and 
sky  lark,  Irish  blackbird,  thrush,  English  robin  red- 
breast, starling,  and  hosts  of  others. 

The  first  of  these  birds  that  attracts  our  attention 
is  the 

Bulfinch.  — This  bird  has  no  natural  song,  but  is 
gifted  with  the  ability  of  imitating,  with  an  astonish- 
ing accuracy,  in  a sweet  and  flutelike  tone,  almost 
any  air  that  is  whistled,  or  played  to  them  on  an 
instrument.  This  has  made  him  a great  favorite 
among  all  lovers  of  birds. 

In  Germany,  particularly  in  Hesse  and  Saxony,  a 
large  number  of  these  birds  are  taught,  and  by  the 
dealers  brought  to  various  parts  of  the  world.  The 
raising  and  teaching  is  generally  accomplished  by 
shoemakers,  tailors,  and  weavers,  who,  being  con- 
fined to  their  rooms,  are  thus  enabled  to  take  care  of 
them.  The  teaching  begins  from  the  time  they  are 
taken  into  the  house.  The  tune  that  it  is  intended 
they  should  learn  is  whistled  to  them  — whistling  is 
always  preferred,  as  instruments  are  generally  too 
shrill — several  times  a day,  more  particularly  in 
the  morning  and  evening.  The  tune  must  be  whis- 
tled always  in  the  same  key,  and  no  other  tune 
whistled  in  the  hearing  of  the  bird,  which  is  kept 


THE  BULF1NCH. 


33 


in  rather  a dark  place  during  the  process  of  train- 
ing. 

Taken  as  they  are  when  quite  young,  and  brought 
up  by  hand,  they  are  always  tame,  and  will  take  food 
from  the  hand  of  any  one,  and  may  be  trained  to 
sing  or  pipe  their  tune  at  command : they  very  soon 
learn  to  know  the  person  who  feeds  them,  — and 
we  will  here  remark  that  the  same  person  should 
always  feed  them , — and  will  pipe  their  tune,  making 
beautiful  and  elegant  gestures,  now  moving  the 
body,  and  then  the  head,  first  to  the  right,  then  to 
the  left,  spreading  the  tail  like  a fan,  and  seem- 
ingly “fanning”  with  it,  when  they  commence  with 
a short  flourish,  or  prelude,  and  pipe  their  tune 
through  perfectly. 

The  bulfinch  should  be  fed  principally  on  sum- 
mer rape-seed,  to  which  may  be  added  a little 
canary,  and  occasionally  one  or  two  hemp-seed,  as 
a reward  for  piping  his  tune.  Sugar,  sweet-cakes, 
or  such-like  delicacies,  spoil  their  taste,  and  should 
not  be  given  to  them.  A little  greens  in  the  sum- 
mer, or  sweet  apple  in  the  winter,  is  very  whole- 
some, both  of  which  must  be  fresh.  As  their  claws 
grow  very  fast,  and  also  very  hooking,  they  must  be 
cut  at  least  twice  a year.  They  must  always  be 
handled  very  gently,  as  they  are  easily  frightened, 
and  harsh  treatment  often  causes  their  death. 

These  birds  usually  moult  in  the  month  of  Sep- 
tember ; and,  as  they  shed  their  feathers  very  rap- 
idly, — sometimes  becoming  almost  bare  in  one  day, 
— great  care  must  be  taken  to  keep  them  from  all 


34 


THE  GOLDFINCH. 


draughts  of  air;  and,  in  addition  to  their  regular 
seed,  a little  of  the  yolk*  of  a hard-boiled  egg 
should  be  fed  them  at  least  three  times  a week. 

The  bulfinch  has  diseases.  These,  however,  are 
usually  caused  by  improper  care;  for  if  the  bird 
be  fed  and  watered  regularly  every  day,  at  the 
same  hour  and  by  the  same  person , and  plenty  of 
dry  sand  freely  used,  the  cause  of  disease  is  greatly 
reduced.  Occasionally  these  birds  are  troubled 
with  a diarrhoea,  and  can  be  greatly  relieved,  and 
many  times  a permanent  cure  effected,  by  placing 
a rusty  nail  in  their  drinking-water : a nail  should 
also  be  placed  in  their  drinking-water  during  moult- 
ing season ; and,  should  a bird  be  troubled  with  the 
reverse  of  this  complaint,  — costiveness,  — a piece 
of  sweet  apple,  a little  chickweed,  lettuce,  or  any 
green  food,  will'  usually  afford  full  relief.  Occa- 
sionally this  bird  will  appear  dumpish,  sitting  all 
day  upon  his  perch  with  ruffled  feathers : the  best 
mode  of  treatment  is  to  give  him  a supply  of  maw,  or 
what  is  sometimes  called  poppy-seed,  which  will  in 
most  cases  quickly  restore  him  to  his  usual  spirits. 

The  next  bird  that  is  generally  admired  and  kept 
is  the 

Goldfinch  ; and,  of  all  parlor  birds,  he  is  cer- 
tainly one  of  the  most  delightful,  alike  for  the 
beauty  of  his  plumage,  the  excellence  of  his  song, 
his  proved  docility,  and  remarkable  cleverness.  He 
is  also  very  easily  tamed,  and  is  capable  of  great 
attachment  to  his  owner,  and  may  be  taught  various 
amusing  tricks,  such  as  dragging  a little  wagon  up 


GOLDFINCH  MULES. 


35 


an  inclined  plane  into  his  cage  to  supply  himself 
with  food,  or  to  ring  a bell  whenever  he  requires 
attention,  and  to  haul  up  water  from  a little  well 
underneath  the  cage.  All  these  he  will  learn  very 
readily,  and  without  any  coercion. 

Goldfinch  Mules. — The  goldfinch  will  pair  with 
the  canary,  and  the  mule-birds  produced  are  fre- 
quently very  beautiful,  and  are  also  particularly 
good  singers.  The  mixture,  so  to  speak,  of  the 
song  of  the  two  birds  is  particularly  sweet,  fine, 
and  pleasant  to  the  ear.  In  breeding  mule-birds, 
it  is  true  that  it  requires  some  patience,  and  also 
good  judgment,  for  the  successful  rearing  of  choice 
mules ; but,  when  a satisfactory  result  is  obtained, 
it  is  well  worth  the  pains.  Like  other  birds,  the 

Goldfinch  has  Diseases. — They  are  very  sub- 
ject to  epilepsy ; and  sometimes,  when  closely  con- 
fined, have  swollen  eyes.  By  anointing  the  eye 
with  fresh  butter,  the  ailment  will  be  removed. 
They  are  greedy  eaters,  and  are  sometimes  apt  to 
overdo  the  matter.  A cold  bath  will  soon  put  them 
to  rights.  Goldfinches  have  been  known  to  live 
confined  in  a cage  for  sixteen  or  twenty  years ; and, 
though  they  may  lose  their  bright  colors,  they  retain 
their  activity  and  cheerfulness  of  disposition.  Their 
foed,  in  their  wild  state,  consists  of  all  kinds  of 
seeds,  &c. : in  a cage  they  should  be  fed  upon  maw- 
seed. As  their  bill,  though  as  sharp  as  a needle,  is, 
in  young  birds,  quite  soft,  — and,  although  very  fond 
of  rape  and  canary  seed,  they  cannot  readily  crack 
it  until  they  are  at  least  two  years  old, — - it  would 


36 


THE  LINNET. 


always  be  well  to  soak  a little  canary  and  rape  for 
them,  thereby  softening  the  hull,  and  making  it 
a matter  of  no  trouble  for  them  to  crack ; and 
occasionally,  as  a reward  for  some  trick  or  display 
of  affection,  a few  crushed  hemp-seed,  which  he 
should  be  made  to  take  from  the  hand.  Most  wild 
birds,  when  captured,  become  in  confinement  sul- 
len and  dispirited:  want  of  exercise  and  of  a 
peculiar  kind  of  food  so  alters  the  quality  of  the 
fluids,  that  fits  and  ailments  ensue ; and  the  bird 
mopes  and  soon  dies.  Not  so  with  the  goldfinch . 
immediately  after  its  capture  it  commences  to  feed 
on  its  canary  or  hemp  seed  (food  which  it  could 
never  have  tasted  before),  nibble  its  sugar^  in  the 
wires,  like  an  enjoyment  which  it  had  always  been 
accustomed  to,  frisk  about  its  cage,  and  dress  its 
plumage,  without  manifesting  the  least  apparent 
regret  for  the  loss  of  companions  or  liberty.  Its 
beauty,  its  melody,  and  its  speedy  reconciliation  to 
confinement,  render  it  a desirable  companion  ; and 
it  is  captured  to  cheer  us  with  its  manners  and  its 
voice  in  airs  and  regions  very  different  from  its 
native  thistly  downs  and  apple-blossom  bowers. 

The  Linnet,  either  gray  or  green,  is  a beautiful 
songster,  and  is  very  generally  kept  throughout 
Europe.  It  is  of  a hardy  constitution,  easily  •do- 
mesticated, a most  lovely  and  constant  singer,  utter 
ing  many  very  sweet,  flute-like  notes  ; and  if  fed 
principally  on  canary  and  rape  seed,  with  occasion- 
ally a very  few  hemp  seed,  it  will  remain  in  compar- 
ative health. 


SISKIN,  CHAFFINCH,  AND  NIGHTINGALE.  37 


Another  bird  which  is  attracting  considerable 
attention  in  America  is 

The  Siskin. — This,  as  well  as  the  goldfinch  and  lin- 
net, is  one  of  the  species  used  in  crossing  with  the  ca- 
nary. In  Europe,  it  is  a favorite  cage-bird,  and  really 
a beautifully-plumaged  one.  Their  song  is  short  and 
low,  though  very  agreeable,  and  they  imitate  with  facil- 
ity the  notes  of  various  birds.  Caged,  they  should  be 
fed  on  maw-seed,  mixed  with  crushed  hemp.  As  they 
are  a greedy  bird,  care  must  be  taken  not  to  feed 
them  too  much.  In  health  or  sickness,  their  treat- 
ment, except  feeding,  should  be  the  same  as  the 
canary.  A very  beautiful  bird,  for  his  sleek  plu- 
mage, as  well  as  for  his  agreeable  song,  is  the 

Chaffinch.  — They  are  extremely  docile,  and  can 
be  trained  or  taught  to  perform  many  amusing 
tricks.  Their  food  should  be  the  same  as  the  ca- 
nary, adding,  however,  in  the  spring,  a few  hemp- 
seed  to  induce  them  to  sing  more  freely. 

These  comprise  about  all  the  European  seed-birds 
of  song  that  find  their  way  to  America. 

Amongst  the  soft-bill  birds  (those  that  live  on 
mocking-bird  or  other  soft  food),  the  first  in  the 
hearts  of  his  countrymen  is  the 
Nightingale. 

“ Night  from  her  ebon  throne  stoops  down  to  listen 
To  this  the  sweetest  songster  of  the  grove  ; 

And  pulses  thrill,  and  eyes  with  rapture  glisten, 

As  forth  she  pours  her  plaintive  song  of  love.” 

4 


38  THE  NIGHTINGALE  AND  BLACK-CAP. 


This  bird  is  decidedly  the  most  melodious  of  all 
singing-birds.  The  compass,  flexibility,  prodigious 
variety,  and  harmony  of  his  voice  make  him  the 
greatest  favorite  of  the  lovers  of  the  beauty  of 
nature.  Coleridge  wrote  thus  of  this  bird  : — 

“ The  merry  nightingale, 

That  crowds  and  hurries  and  precipitates, 

With  fast,  thick  warble,  his  delicious  notes. 

As  if  he  were  fearful  that  an  April  night 
Would  be  too  short  for  him  to  utter  forth 
His  love-chant,  and  disburden  his  full  soul 
Of  all  its  music.” 

He  will  sometimes  dwell  for  several  seconds  on  a 
strain  composed  of  only  two  or  three  melancholy 
tones ; beginning  in  an  under  voice,  and  swelling  it 
gradually  by  a most  superb  crescendo  to  the  high- 
est point  of  strength,  he  ends  it  by  a dying  cadence. 
His  very  striking  musical  talent,  surpassing  all  other 
singing-birds,  has  acquired  for  him  the  name  of  the 
King  of  Songsters. 

When  caged  and  well  treated,  they  will  sing  for 
six  or  eight  months  during  the  year : some  begin  in 
December,  some  in  January,  and  some  in  February, 
and  sing  till  the  month  of  July. 

The  next  of  old  England’s  warblers  is  the 

Black-Cap.  — He  is  a most  delightful  singer,  and 
is  called  the  next  best  to  the  nightingale.  His 
notes,  though  quite  different,  are  no  less  admirable, 
and  are  heard  throughout  the  year,  during  the  whole 
day,  except  in  the  moulting  season.  He  begins  quite 
piano,  with  several  strains  of  warbling,  and  ends 


THE  SKYLARK  AND  WOODLARK. 


39 


with  loud,  most  joyful,  flutelike  notes.  Caged,  he 
requires  the  same  food  as  all  soft-bill  birds. 

The  next  favorite  of  the  Old  Country  — and  he 
also  has  hosts  of  friends  in  America  — is 
The  Skylark,  — 


“ The  crested  herald  of  the  morn,  that  springs 
Up  from  his  grassy  flight, 

Seeming  to  rain  down  music  from  his  wings, 

And  bathe  his  plumage  in  the  fount  of  light.” 

This  beautiful  warbler  is  spread  all  over  Europe, 
and  has  the  most  peculiar  manner  of  flying  of  any 
of  the  feathered  tribe,  his  movement  being  invaria- 
bly upwards  in  a perpendicular  line ; after  leaving 
his  grassy  abode,  beginning  his  melodious  song, 
which  he  continues  unceasingly  till  nearly  out  of 
sight,  looking  like  a mere  speck,  towards  the  heav- 
ens, and  even  then  you  may  hear  his  sweet  voice 
dying  away  as  if  in  the  clouds  ; when  he  descends  in 
like  manner,  still  continuing  to  gratify  his  hearers 
below  with  his  own  peculiar  melody  till  within  a 
short  distance  from  his  nest,  then,  silently  alighting, 
hiding  himself  in  the  grass,  fearing,  as  if  by  instinct, 
some  straggling  wanderers  were  watching  his  move- 
ments, to  find  out  the  spot  to  “ rob  a bird’s  nest,” 
when  he  creeps  along,  quite  unseen,  to  visit  his  home 
and  little  family. 

The  Woodlark  is  also  a beautiful  bird,  and  re- 
sembles the  skylark  in  color,  but  is  smaller,  and  is 
one  of  the  sweetest  singers  in  Europe,  his  song 


40 


THE  ENGLISH  ROBIN  REDBREAST. 


being  a combination  of  beautiful,  thrilling,  and  soft, 
flutelike  notes,  and  quite  free  from  any  shrill  or 
unpleasant  ones.  The  food  of  both  birds  is  the 
same  as  the  American  mocking-bird. 

Another  English  bird  that  is  becoming  popular 
with  Americans  is 

The  English  Robin  Redbreast. — This  bird  is 
thought  very  much  of  in  Europe,  particularly  in 
England,  being  lively  and  a very  handsome  bird. 
It  is  easily  tamed,  so  as  to  be  let  out  of  its  cage,  and 
play  about  a room.  It  possesses  a sweet  warbling 
Song.  This  bird  is  very  fond  of  bathing,  and  should 
therefore  be  daily  provided  with  a bath  ; but,  when 
allowed  to  fly  about  a room,  care  must  be  taken  not 
to  leave  a pitcher,  or  any  large  vessel  with  water, 
within  its  reach,  as  it  is  very  apt  to  take  to  such, 
and  frequently  gets  drowned.  It  being  a soft-bill 
bird,  its  food  is  the  same  as  the  preceding  birds. 

The  following  verse  is  an  extract  from  a very 
pretty  and  pathetic  poem,  written  on  the  far-famed 
story  of  “ The  Death  of  the  Babes  in  the 
Wood  : ” — 


“ No  burial  these  pretty  babes 
Of  any  man  receives  ; 

But  Robin  Redbreast  painfully 
Did  cover  them  with  leaves.” 


The  family  of  thrushes  have  long  been  known  to 
Americans,  and  require  from  us  but  a few  lines.  We 
can  certainly  say  that  the 


SONG  THRUSH  AND  BLACKBIRD.  4 1 

Song  Thrush  is  a most  melodious  singer,  being 
gifted  with  a more  powerful  tone  than  any  of  the 
feathered  choristers  of  the  European  forest.  This 
speckled  musician  pleases  with  delight,  and  satisfies, 
as  it  were,  the  very  soul  of  the  listener.  In  the 
wild  state,  it  only  sings  during  the  spring  ; but,  when 
caged  and  properly  treated,  will  sing  eight  or  nine 
months  of  the  year,  commencing  about  December 
or  January.  It  is  for  this  reason,  as  well  as  for  its 
beautiful  song,  that  the  thrush  is  so  much  kept  in 
cages,  and  domesticated.  Food  same  as  preceding. 

The  Blackbird,  whose  plumage  is  of  a pure  vel- 
vety black,  with  an  orange-yellow  bill,  is  a fine  song- 
ster. The  notes,  though  not  so  various  as  those  of 
the  thrush,  still  are  of  a more  sweet,  flutelike  tone. 
Besides  this,  he  possesses  the  ability  of  imitating 
airs  which  are  whistled  to  him : these  he  executes  to 
great  perfection.  When  in  a wild  state,  this  bird 
only  sings  about  three  months  in  the  year  ; when 
caged,  sings  nearly  throughout  the  year.  His  food 
and  treatment  may  be  the  same  as  we  described  for 
the  thrush. 

We  consider  the  blackbird,  when  in  full  plumage 
and  in  good  health,  a very  handsome  bird,  and 
therefore  are  scarcely  inclined  to  agree  with  an 
anonymous  poet  who  says,  — 

“ I could  not  think  so  plain  a bird 
Could  sing  so  sweet  a song.” 

And  now  comes  the  last  of  the  European  birds 
that  find  their  way  to  America,  — 


42  THE  STARLING  AND  MOCKING-BIRD. 

The  Starling.  — His  natural  song  is  rather  poor ; 
but  he  has  a wonderfully  good  memory.  He  will 
learn  to  repeat  several  airs  that  are  played  to  him, 
with  great  ease,  — nay,  more,  he  learns  to  pronounce 
words  very  distinctly,  or  imitate  the  song  of  other 
birds,  or  any  sounds  when  repeatedly  heard.  Be- 
sides this,  he  becomes  very  tame  in  the  house,  so  as 
to  be  let  out  of  the  cage,  and  walk  about  the  room. 
He  soon  knows  all  the  persons  in  the  house,  is  al- 
ways gay  and  wakeful,  and  as  docile  and  cunning  as 
a dog.  His  food  and  treatment  may  be  the  same  as 
that  of  the  thrush.  He  is  a very  hardy  bird,  and 
will  sometimes  attain  the  age  of  fifteen  years. 

Having  treated  quite  thoroughly  the  songsters  of 
old  England,  Ireland,  and  Germany,  we  will  now 
take  up  our  own  loved  American  birds ; and  to 
America  belongs  the  finest  and  best  bird  in  the 
world,  — 

The  American  Mocking-Bird.  — This  unrivalled 
songster,  though  he  may  not  possess  the  melodious 
sweetness  of  the  nightingale  and  lark,  or  the  beau- 
tiful pipe  of  the  blackbird,  yet  in  himself  he  unites 
all  the  excellences  to  a greater  extent  than  any 
other  living  bird.  Who,  on  passing  through  the 
streets  of  any  large  city  on  a bright  night  in  June, 
has  not  heard  the  shrill  scream  of  the  eagle,  the 
mourning  note  of  the  turtle-dove,  the  delicate 
warble  of  the  blue-bird,  the  cackling  of  the  domes- 
tic hen,  followed  by  the  quarrelling  of  a dozen  or 
more  grimalkins , each  seeming  to  vie  with  the  other 
as  to  the  quantity  of  noise ; then  the  cry  of  the 


MOCKING-BIRD  FOOD. 


43 


katydid,  the  mellow  whistle  of  the  cardinal,  the 
grunt  of  the  maternal  porker  searching  for  her 
juveniles,  the  creaking  of  some  rusty  swing-sign- 
board, the  pipe  of  the  canary,  and  the  cry  of  some 
lost  puppy  wailing  in  the  midnight  air,  and  each 
succeeding  the  other  with  such  rapidity,  that  the 
listener  wonders  if  such  a variety  can  come  from 
so  small  an  object.  All  this  the  mocking-bird  is 
capable  of.  The  mocking-bird  is  a general  favorite, 
and  deserves  to  be  attentively  cared  for.  He  is 
particular,  and  should  be  fed  and  watered  at  the 
same  time  every  day . His  cage  should  be  large,  and 
kept  very  clean,  with  plenty  of  gravel.  His  food 
should  be 

Reiche’s  prepared  Mocking-Bird  Food.  — All 
other  mocking-bird  foods  are  only  worthless  imita- 
tions of  this,  and,  in  many  cases,  have  been  found 
to  be  very  injurious  to  the  bird.  It  is  in  bottles  all 
ready  for  use.  In  boxes,  it  will  need  the  addition 
of  grated  carrot.  The  box  food  is  the  cheapest  and 
best.  A good  way  is  to  change  every  few  weeks 
from  one  to  the  other.  An  addition  of  ants*  eggs 
occasionally  with  their  food  (Chas.  Reiche  & Bro. 
are  the  only  importers  of  them)  is  very  beneficial  ; 
a little  sweet  apple  grated  up  with  the  food  gives 
it  a very  fine  flavor,  and  often  restores  the  appetite 
when  it  seems  quite  poor. 

A Supply  of  Insects  should  be  gathered  during 
the  proper  season,  such  as  flies,  grasshoppers,  spi- 
ders, &c.,  and  put  loosely  in  a paper  bag,  and  hung 
up  to  dry ; and,  when  used  in  winter,  they  should 


44 


MOCKING-BIRD  FOOD. 


have  boiling  water  poured  over  them,  which  will 
soften  them,  and  make  them  as  palatable  as  if  they 
were  still  alive.  A grasshopper  thus  prepared  is  a 
Thanksgiving  dinner  to  your  bird.  Zante  currants, 
the  same  as  used  for  cake,  washed  clean,  soaked 
over  night,  and  wiped  dry , also  make  a dainty 
morsel. 

Meal-Worms  give  a bird  a great  deal  of  life,  and, 
being  the  richest  of  food,  should  only  be  given 
occasionally,  say  six  to  ten  worms  in  a month.  Eyery 
owner  of  a soft-bill  bird  should  raise  a stock  of 
meal-worms.  The  process  is  very  simple,  and  con- 
sists in  first  taking  an  old  box  or  jar,  and  placing 
therein  a quantity  of  bran  or  meal,  — in  fact,  any  fari- 
naceous meal,  — a few  biscuit  or  part  of  a loaf  of 
bread,  a few  pieces  of  leather  from  an  old,  worn-out 
boot  or  shoe,  and  some  woollen  rags ; place  therein 
a few  meal-worms,  — say  fifty,  — and  then  cover  the 
opening  tightly  with  a thick  cloth.  If  this  cloth  is 
moistened  with  water  occasionally,  they  will  breed 
faster  ; and,  if  not  disturbed,  at  the  expiration  of  from 
four  to  six  months,  you  will  have  thousands. 

Mocking-Birds  have  Diseases.  — Should  your 
bird’s  feathers  stand  loosely  all  over,  and  he  still 
seem  healthful,  give  him  cooling  food  only.  Should 
your  bird  be  dumpish  and  stupid,  a few  spiders  will 
usually  cure  him.  Should  he  refuse  to  eat,  examine 
his  tongue,  and  you  probably  will  find  on  it  a horny 
scale : this  must  be  removed  with  great  care,  as,  if 
allowed  to  remain,  your  bird  will  surely  die.  To 
remove  this  scale,  hold  the  bird  on  his  bacl/  firmly 


MOCKING-BIRD  DISEASES. 


45 


with  one  hand,  and,  with  the  finger-nail  of  the  other 
hand,  gently  peel  this  scale  from  the  tongue.  Care* 
fully  watch  the  bird’s  droppings,  and  immediately 
apply  the  cure  for  illness. 

Diarrhcea  is  cured  by  a very  rusty  nail  placed 
in  his  drinking-cup,  and  the  reverse  by  insect  food, 
or  water  with  a few  ants’  eggs  soaked  in  it.  Blind- 
ness is  not  to  be  cured ; and  the  bird  thus  attacked 
will  shortly  die,  its  spirit  being  broken  by  the  illness. 

During  the  month  of  May,  sometimes  earlier,  all 
birds  have  what  is  called  the 

Mating  Fever.  — They  grow  melancholy,  allow 
their  feathers  to  grow  rough,  cease  to  “ plume 
themselves”  before  retiring,  waste  away,  and  die. 
All  lovers  of  birds  must  have  observed  that  a bird 
never  goes  to  sleep  without  arranging,  just  before 
dark,  every  feather.  The  uniformity  and  tedious- 
ness of  a bird’s  life,  confined  in  a cage,  that  was 
not  bred  in  one,  is  the  cause  of  this  mating-fever. 
They  have  an  ungratified  sensual  desire.  In  many 
instances  they  forget  their  inclination  for  freedom 
and  a mate,  by  simply  changing  the  cage,  and  hang- 
ing near  a window,  where  their  time  will  be  taken 
up  in  watching  new  surroundings. 

Mocking-Bird  Ltce  are  a great  annoyance  to  a 
bird,  and  should  be  gotten  rid  of.  This  is  best 
done  by  placing  the  bird  in  another  perfectly  clean 
cage  ; then  steep  some  fine-cut  chewing  tobacco  in 
water,  and,  with  a very  weak  solution,  wash  the  bird 
very  thoroughly,  particularly  under  the  wings  ; then 
place  a white  % cloth  or  towel  on  top  of  the  cage, 


46  BIRD-LICE  AND  IMPROPER  FOOD. 

and  they  will  crawl  up,  and  in  a few  days  you  will 
be  rid  of  them.  Clean  your  cage  very  thoroughly 
before  you  replace  your  bird  therein ; and,  with 
proper  attention  to  cleanliness,  you  will  not  again 
be  troubled  with  them. 

Experience  has  taught  us  that  nine-tenths  of  the 
ailments  of  birds  are  caused  by  improper  feeding. 
Bits  of  sugar,  candy,  daily  green  food,  grapes,  meat 
from  the  table,  — all  are  bad  for  any  bird.  Birds  need 
plain  food,  regularly  given.  Seed-birds  require  seed 
free  from  dust ; other  birds,  food  mixed  daily  in 
clean  vessels.  A bath  should  be  given  the  mocking- 
bird daily  ; and  the  vessel  should  be  removed  from  the 
cage  when  the  bird  has  bathed.  You  can  soon 
teach  any  bird  to  bathe  directly  when  you  give  him 
his  bath,  if  you  give  it  to  him  at  the  same  hour  each 
day.  If  irregular  yourself,  the  bird  will  contract  the 
same  habit. 

These  remarks  on  the  mocking-bird  will  also  apply 
to  the  thrush,  starling,  lark,  nightingale,  robin,  black- 
cap, and,  in  fact,  all  the  family  of  soft-bill  birds. 
In  doctoring  your  sick  bird,  ascertain  as  nearly  as 
possible  what  his  complaint  is,  and  apply  the  rem- 
edy ; if  it  does  not  succeed,  try  another.  Birds  have 
been  known  to  be  at  the  point  of  death  with  cos- 
tiveness, when  a small  spider  has  been  forced  down 
their  throats,  and  a large  knitting-needle,  dipped 
into  oil,  inserted  into  the  passage  as  an  injection, 
and  the  bird  caused  to  fly  a few  feet,  when  imme- 
diate relief  followed,  and  in  a few  hours  the  bird 
was  again  in  song. 


THE  BOBOLINK  AND  VIRGINIA  NIGHTINGALE.  47 


The  bird  which,  in  quality  of  song,  ranks  next  to 
the  mocking-bird,  is 

The  Bobolink. — This  bird  has  received  his  name 
from  a peculiar  song  of  his  own,  in  which  he  ex- 
presses very  distinctly  the  words  “ bob-o-link  ” several 
times  in  succession.  They  are  found  all  over  the 
United  States  in  the  summer  season  in  great  num- 
bers, but  migrate  southerly  when  cold  weather 
approaches.  Their  song  is  a confused,  merry  jingle 
of  notes,  of  about  the  quality  of  the  canary,  but 
without  any  method  whatever.  They  are  easily 
domesticated  to  cage-life,  and,  when  fed  on  noth- 
ing but  canary-seed  (no  hemp),  will  sing  about  eight 
months  of  the  year.  They  are  hardy,  and  will  live 
many  years.  The  author  owned  one  that  was  sent  to 
the  World’s  Fair  in  1851,  and,  after  taking  the  first 
prize  in  Europe,  came  safely  back  to  America. 

Following  this  bird  in  attractive  qualities  of  song 
as  well  as  of  plumage  is  the 

Virginia  Nightingale,  sometimes  called  the  Vir- 
ginia red-bird,  sometimes  the  cardinal.  It  is  a 
native  of  the  Southern  States,  and  one  of  the  hand- 
somest birds  of  the  New  World.  Its  color  is  of  a 
brilliant  red,  with  the  exception  of  the  throat  and 
the  part  round  the  beak,  which  are  black.  The 
head  is  ornamented  with  a tuft,  which  it  is  capable 
of  raising,  giving  it  a very  commanding  appearance. 
Together  with  its  beautiful  plumage,  this  bird  is 
gifted  with  a very  sweet,  pleasing  song,  or  rather 
whistle,  which  sounds  almost  like  the  playing  of  a 
flageolet,  being  very  pleasant  to  the  ear.  It  is  a 


48  THE  INDIGO-BIRD  AND  NONPAREIL. 

very  hardy  bird,  and  easily  taken  care  of,  and  is 
kept  in  cages  in  this  country  as  well  as  in  Europe. 
It  should  be  fed  with  a mixture  of  canary  and  hemp 
seed  and  rough  (unhulled)  rice,  to  which  may  be 
added  a little  fresh  green  food,  or  a piece  of  apple 
occasionally.  When  properly  treated,  this  bird  often 
attains  the  age  of  fifteen  years;  though  it  will  fade 
away  from  the  beautiful  scarlet  red  to  a delicate 
shade  of  pink.  The  next  attractive  bird  is 

The  Indigo  Bird. — This  is  one  of  America’s 
sweet-voiced  warblers,  and  is  a native  of  our  own 
sunny  South,  visiting  the  Northern  States  when  warm 
weather  has  fairly  established  itself.  Its  color  is  a 
beautiful  shade  of  indigo  blue,  and  its  size  the  same 
as  the  canary.  Its  song,  though  short,  is  quite 
agreeable,  and  by  many  considered  very  sweet.  It 
will  become  very  tame,  and  live  many  years  in  con- 
finement. If  fed  upon  nothing  but  canary,  millet, 
and  rape  seed,  with  occasionally  a little  green  stuff, 
with  the  addition  of  a bath  daily,  it  will  keep  in 
excellent  condition  and  song.  Another  favorite  of 
the  Southern  State's,  and  one  which  is  never  seen 
north  of  Southern  Virginia,  is  the 

Nonpareil.  — He  is  what  his  name  indicates,  — 
“ without  an  equal ; ” his  many  hues  giving  him,  in 
1872,  the  name  of  “ Dolly  Varden.”  They  are  the 
most  beautiful  cage-birds,  and  have  only  to  be  seen 
to  be  admired.  Their  song,  though  not  so  strong 
as  the  indigo-bird,  is  equally  agreeable,  and  their 
food  the  same,  with  the  addition,  in  summer  weather, 
of  live  flies,  of  which  they  are  passionately  fond. 


THE  GROSBEAK  AND  AMERICAN  ROBIN.  49 


Another  beautiful  bird,  but  rarely  seen  caged,  is 
the 

Rose-breasted  Grosbeak.  — This  very  elegant 
bird  is  but  little  known  ; yet  but  few  of  our  domestic 
birds  much  surpass  it  in  sweetness  of  song  or  beauty 
of  plumage.  It  sings  by  night  as  well  as  by  day, 
and  its  notes  are  very  clear  and  mellow.  Its  great 
rarity  in  the  wild  state  accounts  for  the  fact  that  it 
is  so  seldom  seen  caged ; yet  no  bird  can  be  more 
highly  prized,  its  bright  carmine  breast  and  deep 
black  and  snowy  white  body  forming  such  a rich 
contrast  During  the  summer  it  wanders  into  the 
high  northern  latitudes,  wintering  in  the  Middle 
States.  Caged,  it  becomes  very  tame  in  a remark- 
ably short  space  *of  time,  and,  being  well  contented 
in  confinement,  lives  many  years.  It  usually  keeps 
in  the  best  of  health  if  fed  upon  nothing  but  canary- 
seed.  Being  rather  a greedy  bird,  if  hemp  or  un- 
hulled rice  (unless  it  seems  to  require  it)  is  fed  it, 
it  will  eat  until  it  is  with  difficulty  that  it  can  move 
from  the  bottom  of  the  cage. 

The  American  Robin,  from  his  proved  docil- 
ity, and  power  to  imitate  even  tunes  that  may  be 
taught  him  when  young,  is  becoming,  as  well  as  the 
mocking-bird,  a favorite  for  the  cage.  When  taken 
from  the  nest  and  brought  up  by  hand,  and  conse- 
quently tame,  he  can  in  a short  space  of  time  be 
taught  a tune  of  considerable  length,  which  he  will 
whistle  with  accuracy,  and  in  its  accomplishment 
exhibit  considerable  musical  ability.  Their  treat- 
ment is  the  same  as  the  American  mocking-bird. 

4 


50  THE  GOLDEN  ROBIN,  SONG  SPARROW, 

The  Golden  Robin,  sometimes  called  the  Balti- 
more oriole,  sometimes  fire-bird,  and  several  other 
names  in  different  parts  of  the  Union,  is  very  similar 
in  appearance  to  the  South  American  troopial,  be- 
ing, however,  but  two-thirds  its  size,  and  not  of  as 
hardy  constitution,  nor  has  it  the  capacity  for  learn- 
ing tricks.  Its  song  is  a low,  sweet,  mellow  whistle. 
It  is,  however,  kept  more  for  its  beauty  of  plumage 
than  song.  In  confinement,  it  should  be  treated  the 
same  as  a mocking-bird. 

The  bird  that  ranks  next  in  song  is 

The  Song  Sparrow. — It  is  seldom  that  he  is 
seen  caged,  probably  on  account  of  the  plainness  of 
his  wardrobe.  He  has  for  a song,  though  a short 
one,  quite  a variety  of  notes,  commencing  very  much 
like  the  admired  water-note  of  the  canary.  This 
he  will  repeat  many  times  in  succession,  and  also 
an  endless  number  of  times  a day.  He  is  a playful 
bird,  and  hours  can  be  pleasantly  passed  in  watching 
his  antics.  Caged,  he  should  be  fed  the  same  as 
the  canary. 

Next  in  order  comes  the  bird  of  all  birds  for  the 
boys,  — 

The  American  Yellow  Bird,  or  what  in  reality 
is  the  American  goldfinch.  This  beautiful  lemon- 
colored  bird,  with  a black  cap  and  black  and  white 
wings,  has  always  been  a favorite  with  Americans ; 
and  thousands  are  caught  every  season  by  means 
of  trap-cages,  using  almost  any  bird  for  a decoy. 
They  are  a sweet  though  very  quiet  songster.  If 
fed  upon  maw,  millet,  and  a little  canary-seed  (the 


YELLOW  BIRD,  AND  RED  LINNET. 


51 


two  latter  should  be  soaked  a little),  and  otherwise 
treated  as  a canary,  they  have  been  known  to  live 
ten  years  in  confinement. 

The  next  American  bird  that  is  usually  kept  as  a 
cage-bird,  and  almost  wholly  for  his  song,  is  the 
common 

Red  Linnet.  — This  beautiful  singing,  or  we 
might  almost  say  whistling,  bird,  is  one  that 
should  be  as  universally  kept  as  the  canary.  Its 
song  is  equally  as  sweet,  and  it  will  sing  for  ten 
months  of  the  year,  or  the  whole  season,  excepting 
during  the  time  of  moulting.  Its  song  consists  of  a 
variety  of  low,  connected,  sweet-sounding  notes, 
which  are  never  harsh  to  the  ear ; and  if  kept  near 
other  birds,  its  power  of  imitation  being  very  good, 
will  soon  add  many  beautiful  notes  to  its  already 
sweet  song.  If  kept  near  fowls,  it  will  soon  learn 
the  cackle  of  the  domestic  hen,  and  even  give  a 
very  good  imitation  of  the  crowing  of  chanticleer. 
In  confinement,  it  becomes  very  tame,  and,  if  fed 
sparingly,  will  live  a great  number  of  years.  It 
should  be  fed  almost  exclusively  on  rape  and  canary 
seed,  and  at  times  even  a short  allowance  of  that. 
As  before  remarked,  it  becomes  tame,  and  also 
very  indolent ; and,  though  a constant  singer,  it  is 
no  exertion  for  it  to  sing,  and  it  in  reality  has  no  ex- 
ercise. If  it  has  hemp-seed  fed  it,  it  very  soon  has 
a giddiness  followed  by  epilepsy,  and  shortly  after 
by  death.  It  is  fond  of  bathing,  and  we  might  say 
of  two  kinds : first,  like  the  skylark,  in  plenty  of 
gravel  (of  which  there  must  be  an  abundance  in  the 


52 


THE  PARROT. 


cage) ; and  second,  it  is  very  fond  of  water,  and  a 
bathing-aish  must  be  given  it  daily.  Its  diseases 
are  similar  to  all  seed-eating  birds  in  confinement ; 
and  the  treatment  must  be  the  same,  for  which  see 
article  on  Sick  Birds.  This  bird  finishes  the  Amer- 
ican birds  of  song  usually  kept  in  cages. 

The  bird  which  next  attracts  our  attention,  and 
one  that  is  found  the  world  over  and  universally 
kept,  is  a native  of  Africa,  known  as  the 

Gray  Parrot,  which,  by  its  docility  and  affec- 
tionate conduct  towards  those  who  treat  it  kindly, 
and  its  wonderful  power  of  imitating  the  human 
voice,  has,  with  all  its  awkwardness,  a very  strong 
hold  upon  the  human  family.  The  very  best  spe- 
cies of  the  parrot  is  the  African,  which  has  a fine 
ashen-gray  color,  with  a black  bill,  white  face,  and 
scarlet  tail.  These  birds,  either  male  or  female, 
make  excellent  talkers : they  can  also  be  taught  a 
tune,  which  they  will  sing  or  whistle  perfectly ; and 
while  they  will  seemingly  forget  many  words  and  sen- 
tences which  they  have  once  pronounced  perfectly, 
yet  they  never  forget  a song  if  it  is  once  thoroughly 
taught  them.  The  next  parrot  in  attractive  quali- 
ties is  the  green,  with  white  over  his  bill.  This 
bird  makes  an  excellent  talker,  is  equally  as  docile 
as  the  gray,  and  attains  a great  age.  Another  spe- 
cies very  much  admired  is  the  yellow-head  parro:. 
This,  as  well  as  several  other  varieties,  is  univer- 
sally kept  and  admired.  The  parrot,  like  all  other 
birds,  is  liable  to  disease  ; but  with  care  it  can  be 
kept  in  nearly  perfect  health.  In  order  to  take 


THE  PARROT. 


53 


proper  care  of  a bird,  cleanliness  first  always,' 
then  place  plenty  of  gravel  in  the  cage,  feed  at  a 
regular  and  stated  time,  always  feeding  the  most 
simple  and  plain  or  coarse  food.  In  its  native 
country  it  feeds  upon  the  seeds  of  the  sunflower  and 
the  various  grains,  and  with  its  exercise  in  its  wild 
state  does  not  grow  too  fleshy.  Caged,  it  must  be 
fed  vastly  different.  A good  food  for  parrots  is 
cold  boiled  potatoes,  stale  bread  or  crackers  soaked 
sometimes  in  water,  sometimes  in  milk,  and  some- 
times in  coffee,  using  the  coffee  just  as  it  is  leached 
or  boiled,  without  the  addition  of  milk  or  sugar. 
Bread  soaked  in  coffee  is  a delicate  morsel,  and  one 
of  which  a parrot  is  very  fond.  They  also  like 
canary-seed,  unhulled  rice,  cracked  corn,  and  hemp- 
seed.  Of  the  two  latter,  very  little  should  be  given 
them  ; and  they  should  never  have  fed  to  them  greasy 
food  from  the  table,  — sugar,  cake,  candy,  or  any 
such  trash.  A piece  of  apple  or  a little  green  stuff 
occasionally  does  no  harm.  Peanuts,  forming  a part 
of  their  native  food,  can  always  be  given  them. 
These  rules  followed,  your  parrot  should  be  healthy. 
There  are  but  two  diseases  that  alike  annoy  the 
parrot  and  its  owner;  and  a constant  inquiry  at 
bird-stores  is,  “What  makes  my  parrot  pull  his 
feathers  out?”  The  reply  invariably  is,  “You  feed 
your  bird  too  highly.”  And  we  will  here  remark 
that  the  parrot,  like  almost  the  majority  of  the 
human  family,  is  afflicted  with  some  kind  of  a skin 
disease,  and  the  feeding  of  rich  food  drives  this 
disease  to  the  surface,  causing  an  eruption,  and  a 


54 


THE  PARROT. 


consequent  itching  sensation,  which  the  parrot  re- 
lieves by  pulling  out  its  feathers.  The  only  remedy 
for  parrots  addicted  to  this  habit  is  to  feed  them  on 
either  raw  or  boiled  carrots  and  well-roasted  pea- 
nuts. These  are  both  cooling  foods,  being  entirely 
free  from  grease  of  any  kind.  They  also  require 
showering  with  cold  water  from  three  to  six  times 
per  day ; and,  as  they  should  only  be  showered  with  a 
spray  of  water,  it  would  be  well  to  put  a piece  of  rub- 
ber tube  on  the  end  of  a faucet,  and,  holding  the  fin- 
ger nearly  close  across  the  end,  cause  the  water  to 
fall  in  a spray  upon  the  bird.  When  it  is  not  con- 
venient to  thus  shower  a bird,  a mouthful  of  water 
blown  over  the  bird  will  answer  every  purpose. 
Should  your  parrot  be  attacked  with  diarrhoea 
(which,  if  he  is  properly  cared  for,  he  will  not  be), 
he  should  have  all  green  food,  fruit,  &c.,  taken 
away,  and  be  fed  upon  milk  which  has  been  boiled 
away,  say  at  least  a quarter,  and  thickened  with  the 
least  mite  of  Graham  flour,  so  called,  with  the  ad- 
dition of  a very , very  little  red  pepper.  If  this  does 
not  effect  a cure  in  from  one  to  three  days,  then 
give  him  stale  bread  soaked  in  warm  sherry-wine, 
which  has  had  a very  little  burnt  sugar  added 
thereto,  — not,  however,  giving  this  until  the  other 
has  failed. 

Even  these  remedies  usually  efficacious  have  failed 
at  the  time  when  a parrot  was  shedding  his  feathers  ; 
and  whole  peppers  and  spices  of  various  kinds  are 
given  the  bird,  but  without  the  desired  effect.  The 
last  remedy  for  this  painful  disease  is  laudanum  or 


THE  PARROT. 


5!) 


paregoric.  If  the  latter,  five  drops  in  a teaspoon 
of  milk,  poured  down  the  bird's  throat,  and  the  dose 
repeated  every  half-hour  until  relief  comes,  when 
discontinue,  and  feed  a little  plain  food,  and  keep 
the  bird  covered  up  in  a shawl  or  piece  of  blanket, 
and  in  a w^arm  place,  until  again  restored  to  health. 

If  the  bird  has  sore  feet,  occasioned  only  by  a 
dirty  cage,  and  not  using  sand  freely,  first  put  sand 
into  the  cage,  then  wash  his  feet  in  lukewarm  water, 
first  adding  a little  tincture  of  arnica  thereto.  If 
your  parrot  is  troubled  with  costiveness,  green  fruit 
and  exercise  outside  the  cage  is  the  best  remedy. 
If  gouty,  which  they  will  show  by  their  feet  swell- 
ing, and  a partial  closing  of  the  claws,  immerse  the 
feet  in  quite  warm  water  once  or  more  per  day,  and 
soak  tliem  for  ten  or  fifteen  minutes ; dry  thoroughly, 
and  in  a week  or  ten  days  a cure  will  be  effected. 
Sometimes  with  old  cases  it  takes  even  longer.  If 
your  bird  is  troubled  with  fits,  a sprinkling  with  cold 
water  usually  effects  a cure.  Should  you  be  trou- 
bled with  lice  on  your  parrot,  you  can  wash  him 
with  a strong  solution  of  tobacco,  made  by  steeping 
a little  chewing-tobacco  in  water,  or  a very  little 
flower  of  sulphur  can  be  sprinkled  among  the  feath- 
ers. 

These  comprise  about  all  the  ailments  of  the  par- 
rot family  ; and  the  remedies  here  laid  down  for  their 
treatment  also  apply  to  the  dwarf  parrot,  or  what  are 
more  commonly  known  as  paroquets  : but  with  care 
(not  too  much  care)  you  will  be  relieved  of  these 
troublesome  complaints. 


56 


THE  AUSTRALIAN  PAROQUET. 


The  Australian  Paroquet.  — This  very  beautiful 
and  eccentric  bird  has  but  recently  been  introduced 
into  this  country ; yet  it  possesses  so  many  desira- 
ble qualifications  that  it  has  at  once  become  a well- 
known  member  of  the  “bird  family.”  This  bird  is  a 
native  of  the  island  from  whence  it  takes  its  name  ; 
and  in  its  wild  state  leads  a retired  and  sequestered 
life,  sometimes  alone,  and  again  in  pairs.  During 
mating  season,  they  are  found  in  pairs,  and  in  im- 
mense numbers,  the  male  and  female  each  singing 
to  the  other  incessantly.  As  they  are  inhabitants  of 
the  earth,  where  they  build  their  nests,  they  are 
rarely  found  in  trees.  Their  plumage  is  a beautiful 
shade  of  green,  with  a few  brownish  or  black  feath- 
ers upon  the  back,  and  the  feathers  of  the  head  a 
bright  lemon  color ; which,  added  to  the  bright  blue 
spots  around  the  head  and  neck,  make  them  a beauti- 
ful and  attractive  bird.  They  easily  become  domes- 
ticated to  cage-life,  and  are  capable  of  being  taught 
many  amusing  tricks.  They  are  hardy  birds,  and 
easily  endure  the  cold  winters  of  the  north  ; the  au- 
thor once  having  placed  a pair  where  water  froze  to 
the  depth  of  an  inch,  and  this,  too,  without  any  per- 
ceptible injury  to  the  birds.  They  should  be  fed 
wholly  upon  canary-seed,  and  allowed  frequent  baths. 
With  this  treatment  they  will  continue  in  perfect 
health  for  many  years. 

A bird  that  is  now  very  much  admired  for  the 
beauty  of  his  plumage,  as  well  as  his  exquisite  pow- 
ers of  song,  is  the  pet  of  the  tropics,  — 

South  American  Troopial.  — This  bird  has  a 


THE  TROOP  I AL  AND  CARDINAL. 


57 


beautiful  rich  plumage,  and  looks  very  much  like  our 
American  golden  robin,  or  what  is  known  as  the 
Baltimore  oriole,  the  chief  difference  being  that  it 
is  much  larger  in  size,  and  the  orange  of  the  body 
being  more  of  a yellow.  It  is  one  of  the  feathered 
tribe  of  the  tropics,  gifted  with  great  powers  of  song. 
Being  extremely  docile,  they  are  great  favorites  for 
the  cage,  and  in  confinement  become  so  tame  that 
they  will  hop  on  your  hand  at  call. 

Their  song  is  a very  powerful  yet  pleasant  whistle 
of  clear  and  varied  notes.  They  are  extremely  ac- 
tive and  very  graceful  in  their  movements,  and  re- 
quire a cage  the  same  size  that  a mocking-bird  is 
usually  confined  in.  In  their  wild  state  their  food 
consists  of  insects  and  berries  ; caged,  they  require 
the  same  food  and  treatment  as  the  mocking-bird. 
There  are  few  wild  birds,  which,  when  confined,  be- 
come so  thoroughly  domesticated  as  the  troopial. 
They  can  be  taught  with  little  trouble  to  accept  food 
from  the  hand,  to  fly  to  and  perch  upon  the  one  who 
regularly  attends  to  their  daily  requirements  ; and 
their  extreme  docility  is  a fact  proven  beyond  a doubt. 

The  Brazilian  Cardinal. — This  is  one  of  the 
beautiful  whistling  birds  of  the  tropics,  and  is  justly 
admired  as  a cage-bird.  His  brilliant  scarlet  head, 
which  is  ornamented  with  a tuft  or  crest,  forms  a 
beautiful  contrast  with  the  snowy  white  of  his  body. 
In  addition  to  his  beautiful  plumage,  he  is  also 
gifted  with  powers  of  song,  which  consist  of  a series 
of  connected,  low,  sweet,  whistling  notes.  If  fed 
upon  nothing  but  unhulled  rice  and  canary -seed, 


58 


JAVA  AND  ENGLISH  SPARROW. 


and  given  plenty  of  bathing  water,  he  will  live  many 
years  in  confinement.  Another  very  pretty  bird,  a 
native  of  the  East  Indies,  and  very  much  kept  in 
cages,  — mostly,  however,  for  their  beauty,  — is  the 

Java  Sparrow,  who  takes  his  name  from  the  Java 
Islands,  where  they  abound  in  immense  numbers. 
Their  chief  recommendation  is  the  great  neatness, 
and,  you  might  say,  beauty,  of  plumage ; their 
glossy  black  head,  with  clear  white  cheeks,  and 
delicate  rose-colored  bill,  that  looks  like  a piece  of 
wax-work  ; and  their  light-slate  or  almost  ashen-gray 
body,  forming  one  of  the  richest  combinations  of 
colors.  They  become  very  tame  in  confinement, 
and  occasionally  one  is  seen  that  can  in  reality  be 
called  a bird  of  song.  They  can  be  taught  a variety 
of  amusing  tricks,  and,  perhaps  more  than  any  other 
caged  bird,  will  perform  their  tricks  at  command, 
with  the  seeming  fear  of  a child. 

The  English  Sparrow. — The  English  sparrow, 
now  so  commonly  seen  in  all  of  the  parks,  and  in 
fact  streets,  of  New  York,  Brooklyn,  Jersey  City, 
and  Hoboken,  was  first  introduced  by  the  Messrs. 
Reiche  in  1858.  The  cost  of  the  first  importation 
was  partly  paid  by  Mr.  W.  H.  Scheiffellin,  who  had 
a quantity  of  them  set  free  in  the  garden  of  his  pala- 
tial residence  in  Madison  Square,  New-York  City. 
The  quantity  of  sparrows  now  seen  around  the  Fifth- 
Avenue  Hotel  are  descendants  of  this  first  importa- 
tion. The  remainder  of  the  sparrows  were  given 
their  liberty  by  Mr.  Henry  Reiche  in  the  Central 
Park.  How  they  have  increased  and  multiplied,  we 


ENGLISH  SPARROW. 


59 


need  not  inform  our  readers  who  are  in  the  habit  of 
risiting  the  metropolis  of  America,  and  how  faith- 
fully they  have  devoured  all  worms  and  insects  that 
formerly  ruined  the  beautiful  trees ; and  we  might 
say  they  have  been  the  saving  of  the  fruit-crop  the 
whole  length  of  the  Hudson  River.  Gardens  which 
had  not  a currant  in  them  for  years,  and  apple- 
orchards  that  had  ceased  to  bear,  — were  all  in  fine 
bearing  order  the  same  season  the  sparrows  were 
introduced.  The  question  is  often  asked,  “ Do 
these  birds  destroy  seed  after  planting?’’  We 
answer,  No  : they  are  an  insect-eating  bird,  and  never 
eat  or  scratch  seed.  They  are  consequently  the 
farmer’s  best  friend. 

In  reply  to  a question,  “ How  many  broods  do 
they  raise  in  a year?”  In  New  York  and  vicinity 
they  raise  four  broods  in  a season,  and  will  doubt- 
less do  the  same  in  any  part  of  the  country ; and 
they  never  rear  less  than  four  to  a brood,  often- 
times six  birds.  If  our  farmers  and  gardeners  knew 
how  destructive  they  were  to  insects,  and  how  their 
crops  would  be  increased  by  their  introduction,  they 
would  give  the  subject  their  earnest  consideration. 
The  sparrows  now  sold  are  all  raised  in  New  York 
and  its  vicinity,  and  of  course  are  thoroughly  accli- 
mated ; so  no  fears  need  be  entertained  of  their 
dying  from  change  of  climate. 

What  the  “ Old-World  Sparrow”  will  do  was  very 
happily  told  by  William  Cullen  Bryant,  after  passing 
an  evening  with  the  late  Mr.  Sheiffellin  in  1858.  His 
beautiful  poem  tells  a better  story  of  the  sparrow 
than  we  possibly  could. 


6o 


ENGLISH  SPARROW. 


To  those  who  propose  introducing  this  bird,  eithei 
private  individuals  or  town  or  city  authorities,  we 
would  suggest  the  propriety  of  sending  their  orders 
during  the  months  of  January  and  February.  The 
sparrows  ordered  at  that  time  will  be  ready  for  de- 
livery at  a date  not  later  than  the  15  th  of  April.  At 
this  time  they  begin  mating,  and  are  engaged  in 
building  their  nests,  and  consequently  cannot  be 
caught  and  transported  to  other  places  without  dan- 
ger to  them,  and  loss  of  life,  which,  if  persisted  in, 
would  speedily  exterminate  all  the  sparrows  which 
have  cost  America  immense  sums  of  money.  Lovers 
of  sparrows  who  desire  introducing  them,  and  have 
neglected  ordering  during  the  months  of  January 
and  February,  and  who  do  not  reside  north  of  Port- 
land, can  order  at  any  time  in  the  summer,  and  re- 
ceive them  during  the  months  of  October  and  No- 
vember. The  birds  sent  at  this  time  are  hardy,  and 
require  but  little  care,  the  main  point  being  to  sup- 
ply them  with  soft  food,  such  as  stale  bread,  &c. 
If  the  snow  should  remain  for  a considerable  length 
of  time,  it  would  be  well  to  sweep  a piece  of  ground, 
thereby  enabling  them  to  procure  gravel,  which  is  of 
the  utmost  importance  for  proper  digestion  and  con- 
sequent health. 

THE  OLD-WORLD  SPARROW. 

BY  WILLIAM  C.  BRYANT. 

W E hear  the  note  of  a stranger  bird, 

That  ne’er  till  now  in  our  land  was  heard : 

A winged  settler  has  taken  his  place 
With  Teutons  and  men  of  the  Celtic  race. 


THE  OLD-WORLD  SPARROW. 


6l 


He  has  followed  their  path  to  our  hemisphere,  — 
The  Old-World  sparrow  at  last  is  here. 

He  meets  not  here,  as  beyond  the  main, 

The  fowler’s  snare  and  the  poisoned  grain  ; 

But  snug-built  homes  on  the  friendly  tree, 

And  grubs  for  his  chirping  family 

Are  strewn  when  the  winter  fields  are  drear ; 

For  the  Old-World  sparrow  is  welcome  here. 

The  insect  legions  that  sting  our  fruit, 

And  strip  the  leaves  from  the  growing  shoot,  — 
A swarming,  skulking,  ravenous  tribe, 

Which  Harris  and  Fitch  so  well  describe, 

But  cannot  destroy,  — may  quail  with  fear  ; 

For  the  Old-World  sparrow,  their  foe,  is  here. 

The  apricot,  in  the  summer  ray, 

May  ripen  now  on  the  loaded  spray ; 

And  the  nectarine  on  the  garden-walk, 

Keep  firm  its  hold  on  the  parent  stalk ; 

And  the  plum  its  fragrant  fruitage  rear  ; 

For  the  Old-World  sparrow,  their  friend,  is  here* 

That  pest  of  gardens  — the  little  Turk 
Who  signs  with  the  crescent  his  wicked  work, 
And  causes  the  half-grown  fruit  to  fall  — 

Shall  be  seized  and  swallowed,  in  spite  of  all 
His  sly  devices  of  cunning  and  fear  ; 

For  the  Old  World  sparrow,  his  foe,  is  here. 

And  the  army-worm  and  the  Hessian  fly 
And  the  dreaded  canker-worm  shall  die  ; 

And  the  thrip  and  slug  and  fruit-moth  seek 
In  vain  to  escape  that  busy  beak ; 

And  fairer  harvests  shall  crown  the  year  ; 

For  the  Old-World  sparrow  at  last  is  here. 

6 


62 


FINCHES. 


Finches  for  the  Aviary.  — These  pretty  little 
creatures  are  charming  pets  for  the  drawing-room, 
and  of  the  utmost  interest  to  the  lover  of  birds. 
They  are  kept  more  particularly  for  their  beauty 
of  plumage.  They  are  thoroughly  happy  in  each 
* other’s  society,  and  sit  all  together  in  a row,  on  a 
long  perch,  packed  as  closely  as  possible,  caressing 
and  pluming  each  other.  There  are  many  varieties ; 
and  they  may  be  classed  under  the  general  terms  of 
Waxbills  and  Avadavats.  — Chief  among  the 
many,  we  would  mention  the  waxbills,  which  do  not, 
as  a general  rule,  sing  any  thing  like  a song ; but 
they  chirp  considerably,  and  it  is  a soft,  pleasant 
warble.  The  orange-cheeked  waxbill  is  a beautiful 
smooth  little  bird,  always  as  neat  as  possible,  with 
every  feather  in  its  place,  vermilion  beak,  gray 
head,  neck  and  throat  brown.  The  female  is  about 
the  same  in  general  appearance.  The  zebra,  or 
orange-breasted  waxbill,  is  quite  small,  but  very 
pleasing;  and,  as  he  is  scarcely  three  inches  long, 
he  is  considered  desirable.  The  St.  Helena  waxbills 
are  considerably  larger,  being  about  four  inches  and 
a half  in  length.  A remarkable  feature  of  this 
species  is,  that  all  the  feathers  have  transverse, 
blackish,  wavy  lines  over  them,  and  look  very  soft 
and  silky.  The  gray-blue  is  of  delicate  slate-color 
over  the  whole  body,  with  silvery-white  spots  on 
the  sides.  The  courdon  bleu,  or,  as  some  call  this 
well-known  finch,  crimson-eared  waxbill,  is  also  an 
African  bird,  and  one  of  great  beauty.  The  male 
has  a soft,  pleasing  song,  and  is  usually  to  be  heard 


FINCHES. 


63 


cooing,  as  if  for  his  own  amusement.  This  little 
fellow  has  a peculiar  habit  of  singing  with  a bit  of 
twine,  or  something  which  he  can  hold,  in  his  bill. 

If  he  can  find  a piece  of  cotton,  or  a stalk  of  any 
kind,  he  will  hop  about  his  cage,  and  sing  to  his 
utmost.  The  spice  bird,  also  known  as  the  “nut-  • 
meg  ” and  “ cinnamon  bird,”  and  described  by  some 
authors  under  the  name  of  “go wry”  or  “go wry 
grosbeak.”  These  birds  are  somewhat  larger  than 
the  African  finches,  and  are  equally  entertaining. 
They  are  of  various  colors,  but  are  generally 
found  with  the  head,  neck,  throat,  and  upper  part 
of  the  body  a rich  brown,  the  breast  and  sides 
white,  wings  and  tail  brown.  The  male  has  a 
peculiar  song,  which  will  hardly  attract  attention, 
save  that  the  female  regards  it  as  pleasing ; for  she 
always  places  her  head  close  to  her  mate’s  while  he 
is  singing,  and  is  evidently  unwilling  to  lose  a single 
note.  The  silverbill,  or  quaker  bird,  somewhat 
resembles  the  spice  bird  in  shape  and  size.  The 
male  has  a pretty  warbling  song,  and  he  will  often 
dance  upon  his  perch,  as  if  keeping  time  to  his 
melody.  When  kept  in  couples,  they  become  very 
affectionate,  and  devote  the  greater  part  of  their 
time  to  preening  and  caressing  each  other.  There 
is  also  an  Indian  silverbill ; but  they  are  not  as 
common,  though  occasionally  they  can  be  found. 
The  red-tailed  finch  is  also  a pretty  bird,  having  a ver- 
milion beak.  The  wings,  back,  and  head  are  grayish, 
the  breast  nearly  the  same  color,  dotted  with  whitish 
spots  j the  under  part  of  the  body  a pale  straw  color  ■ 


64 


FINCHES. 


the  tail  a bright  red.  The  male  has  an  agreeable 
song.  The  amandava  finch  is  a native  of  India. 
They  are  somewhat  smaller  than  the  St.  Helena 
waxbill.  As  they  vary  somewhat  in  color,  and  as  it 
is  not  until  they  are  two  or  three  years  old  that 
4 they  come  to  their  perfect  plumage,  it  is  somewhat 
difficult  to  describe  their  appearance  so  that  it  would 
be  of  use  to  those  ii*  search  of  this  charming  little 
warbler.  As  a rule,  the  best  birds  have  the  head 
and  under  part  of  the  body  a bright  red,  with  an 
occasional  black  feather ; the  back  a light  brown, 
and  the  tail  black.  The  fire  finch  bears  a strong 
resemblance  to  the  avadavats,  at  certain  seasons  of 
the  year.  It  is  somewhat  larger,  but  has  little  or 
no  song.  They  are  kept  particularly  for  their  beauty 
and  cheerful  disposition.  The  saffron  finch  is  in 
many  respects  similar  to  the  canary,  though  not 
quite  as  large.  In  point  of  color,  however,  the  finch 
is  more  desirable,  as  the  shades  are  of  brighter 
tints.  These  birds  come  from  Brazil,  and  are 
greatly  sought  after  for  the  aviary,  as  they  are  of  the 
most  sociable  disposition,  and  live  in  the  utmost 
agreement  with  their  comrades.  The  Cuba  and 
negro  finch  have  recently  been  introduced  into 
this  market,  and  with  a good  degree  of  success ; 
also  the  Queenisland  or  Rockhampton  finches, 
which  are  brought  from  Australia.  The  banded  finch 
is  another  choice  bird,  and  one  which  will  speedily 
become  a favorite.  The  whole  body  is  of  a rich  chest- 
nut-brown, both  above  and  below;  the  upper  and  under 
tail  coverts  white,  and  the  tail  black.  The  dia- 


FINCHES. 


65 


mond  sparrow,  or  “ spotted-sided  finch,”  is  also  a 
native  of  Australia.  It  is  a short,  stout  bird,  some- 
what larger  than  the  St.  Helena  waxbill.  The  under 
part  of  the  body  is  white,  and  the  sides  under  the 
wings  quite  black,  with  oblong  white  spots ; the 
.lower  part  of  the  back  and  upper  tail-feathers  are  of 
a deep  carmine.  They  have  the  utmost  desire  to 
catch  flies,  and,  if  allowed  the  liberty  of  a room, 
will  rush  to  the  window,  and  remain  by  the  hour 
catching  them.  They  can  be  made  remarkably  tame, 
and  can  be  trusted  without  their  cage  to  a consider- 
able extent.  Their  song  is  limited.  The  cut-throat 
sparrow,  sometimes  called  “ Indian  sparrow,”  or 
“ fascinated  finch,”  is  about  half  the  size  of  an  Eng- 
lish sparrow.  It  is  of  a delicate  grayish-fawn  color, 
spangled  with  white  spots.  They  have  a soft,  deli- 
cate twitter,  which  can  scarcely  be  called  a song. 
The  “ little  doctor  ” is  from  the  South- American  ports. 
The  plumage  of  the  male  is  of  a beautiful  shade  of 
bluish-black,  with  an  occasional  white  spot.  They 
have  a habit  of  sitting  in  the  middle  of  their  perch, 
and  holding  up  one  foot,  singing  to  each  other  for 
hours.  They  can  easily  be  tamed.  There  are 
numerous  other  varieties,  including  the  magpie 
finch,  celestial,  negro,  nuns,  both  black  and  white 
capped,  &c.,  &c.  These  birds  can  be  kept  in 
one  cage,  and  indeed  they  are  miserable  without 
companions  ; and,  if  two  birds  of  different  species 
lose  their  respective  mates,  they  are  almost  sure  to 
console  themselves  and  to  consort  together.  They 
should  be  fed  upon  millet-seed,  and  given  a bath 
6* 


66 


WHYDAH  BIRD. 


daily ; but  great  care  should  be  taken  that  they  are 
kept  in  a warm  room,  and,  if  possible,  in  the  warm 
rays  of  the  sun.  When  moulting,  a pinch  of  Cayenne 
pepper,  sprinkled  on  the  sand  in  the  bottom  of  the 
cage,  once  or  twice  a week,  will  be  found  beneficial. 
They  are  fond  of  the  sun,  and  delight  to  bask  in  its- 
warmth ; but  care  must  be  taken  not  to  leave  them 
exposed  to  cold  draughts  or  the  dampness  of  the 
night  air.  With  the  above  precautions,  all  these 
birds  can  be  kept  in  cages  for  many  years. 

The  Paradise  Whydah  Bird  is  a well-known 
cage-bird,  and  one  of  great  beauty.  Some  fanciers 
have  given  this  bird  the  name  of  “ the  widow,”  from  its 
quiet  manner  and  its  general  color  of  plumage.  The 
name  is  really  that  of  a kingdom  on  the  east  coast 
of  Africa.  The  great  beauty  of  the  paradise  why- 
dah bird  is  in  its  curiously-formed  tail,  the  two 
centre-feathers  of  which  are  very  broad,  and  about 
four  inches  long:  the  outer  feathers  are  in  some 
cases  from  thirteen  to  sixteen  inches  in  length, 
broad  in  the  centre,  and  tapering  down  to  a delicate 
point.  These  birds  are  easily  kept  in  aviaries,  and 
in  Southern  France  they  have  been  bred  in  cages. 
The  shaft-tailed  whydah  is  a smaller  and  much 
more  delicate  bird  : the  tail  is  entirely  different  from 
the  paradise  whydah,  yet  quite  as  interesting.  It  is 
short  and  fan-shaped ; the  body  of  the  middle 
feathers  is  extended  into  naked  quills,  which  are 
about  seven  or  eight  inches  long.  The  song  of  this 
species  is  of  excellent  quality.  The  weavers  are  a 
most  companionable  bird:  they  are  brought  from 


WEAVERS. 


67 


Africa,  India,  and  parts  of  the  Asiatic  islands. 
Their  weaving  instincts  are  exhibited  upon  every 
possible  occasion  : they  will  gather  every  piece  of 
thread,  blade  of  grass,  or  whatever  of  that  nature 
may  come  in  their  way,  and  weave  it  into  the  wires 
of  their  cage  after  the  most  fantastic  fashion.  One 
could  pass  the  entire  day  watching  the  workings  of 
these  ingenious  and  industrious  little  fellows.  If  their 
friends  do  not  provide  for  their  weaving  wants,  they 
will  resort  to  the  most  extraordinary  means  whereby 
they  can  suppl/ themselves.  They  will  try  to  steal 
the  trimmings  of  ladies’  dresses,  and  will  be  continu- 
ally pilfering  grass  and  straw  from  other  cages, 
which  they  will  weave  into  the  most  fantastic  forms. 
The  author  once  owned  a pair,  which  he  kept  in  a cage 
with  larger  birds.  These  little  fellows  would  weave 
the  legs  of  the  larger  birds  so  tightly  together  that 
their  bonds  required  cutting.  There  is  a species  of  the 
weaver  which  is  called  by  some  the  grenadier  gros- 
beak. This  bird  should  be  termed  the  bishop  bird, 
and,  when  in  full  plumage,  is  certainly  very 
beautiful.  It  will  live  with  other  birds,  and  is 
apt  to  become  very  sociable  with  its  companions, 
who  will  be  caught  in  the  meshes  of  its  weaving  if 
not  upon  their  guard.  So  far  as  possible  in  a 
volume  of  this  size,  the  description  of  finches  will 
be  found  to  be  complete  and  reliable.  These  birds 
are  all  suitable  for  the  aviary  ; but  the  following 
birds  can  be  placed  with  them  by  those  who  de- 
sire to  make  a more  extended  collection : canary, 
goldfinch,  linnet,  bulfinch,  chaffinch,  greenfinch, 


68 


BIRDS  FOR  AVIARY. 


siskin,  American  goldfinch,  indigo  bird,  nonpareil, 
song  sparrow,  Java  sparrow,  Australian  paroquets, 
love  birds,  mountain  finch,  rose  bunting,  cardinal 
grosbeak  or  Virginia  nightingale,  red -breasted 
grosbeak,  Brazilian  cardinal,  crossbill,  pine  gros- 
beak, hawfinch,  and  sparrow.  Of  course  the  bird 
family,  like  all  others,  is  liable  to  domestic  troubles. 
Sometimes  a bird  of  certain  species  will  become 
troublesome,  and  destroy  the  quiet  and  happiness 
of  the  entire  family.  When  such  a one  is  found,  he 
should  be  taken  out  and  exchanged  at  a first-class 
bird-store  for  another  of  its  kind  : by  this  means  the 
aviary  will  become  a model  of  quietness  and  har- 
mony. 

The  house  of  Charles  Reiche  & Brother  have 
experienced  a great  deal  of  trouble,  especially  in 
earlier  years,  from  the  enormous  duties  which  they 
were  obliged  to  pay  as  customs  for  the  importation  of 
foreign  birds.  In  order  to  facilitate  the  importation 
of  choice  birds  from  the  different  countries,  this 
house  for  many  years  paid  heavy  duties  under  pro- 
test, while  they  carried  on  a suit  with  the  government 
of  the  United  States.  It  was  only  after  a number  of 
years,  and  after  the  case  had  passed  through  every 
court  to  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  United  States,  that 
Chief  Justice  Chase  decided,  in  1872,  that  a bird  was 
not  an  animal,  and  therefore,  by  the  letter  of  the  law, 
exempt  from  duty.  Since  that  decision,  the  lovers 
of  birds  have  been  able  to  procure  them  at  a low 
rate  in  comparison  to  that  which  they  would  have 
been  obliged  to  pay,  had  it  not  been  for  the  persever- 
ance of  Messrs.  Charles  Reiche  & Brother. 


BIRD-SEED. 


69 


Bird-seed. — Very  few  persons  are  aware  how 
much  a bird’s  health,  and  consequently  its  song, 
depends  upon  the  selection  of  seed.  There  are 
as  many  qualities  or  grades  of  canary-seed  as 
there  are  qualities  or  grades  of  flour.  Is  all  flour 
alike  ? If  it  is,  then  all  seed  is  alike.  The  qual- 
ity of  canary-seed  is  usually  based  by  dealers  in  seed 
upon  the  price  per  bushel,  — it  varying  from  $2.15 
to  $4.70  at  present  writing  (May,  1873).  The  very 
best  seed  is  the 

Sicily  Canary.  — It  is  a very  plump  and  heavy- 
feeling seed,  and  is  extremely  palatable  to  the  bird. 
A sample  of  this  seed  — enough  to  last  one  bird 
two  months — will  be  sent  by  mail,  prepaid,  on  re- 
ceipt of  twenty-five  cents. 

The  German  Summer  Rape-seed  is  excellent  for 
birds,  and  should  always  be  given  them.  It  is  their 
only  food  in  Germany,  where  they  are  reared,  and, 
being  of  a very  cooling  nature,  will  always  keep  the 
bird  in  excellent  condition ; though,  if  fed  on  this 
exclusively,  he  will  not  sing  as  much  as  if  his 
seed  were  mixed  with  canary,  — the  canary  giving  the 
bird  life  and  animation.  A package  of  clear 
rape,  or  rape  and  canary  mixed,  will  be  sent  the 
same  as  the  clear  canary,  and  at  same  price.  The 
next  seed  which  is  used,  and  often  by  persons  en- 
tirely ignorant  of  its  nature,  is 

Hemp-seed.  — This  is  a very  rich,  oily,  sweet  seed, 
and  very  much  loved  by  birds  of  every  species. 
When  mixed  with  other  seeds,  the  bird  never  fails 
to  scatter  all  other  around  the  room,  searching 


70 


BIRD-SEED. 


for  this  dainty  morsel,  and,  so  long  as  he  has  one 
seed,  will  not  taste  either  rape  or  canary.  This, 
being  the  richest  of  all  seed,  should  be  fed  very 
sparingly.  If  the  bird  is  in  health  and  song,  never 
give  hemp  ; for  it  only  fattens,  and,  if  constantly  fed, 
will  ruin  the  song.  Occasionally  a bird  seems  deli- 
cate, and  is  a very  small  eater : in  such  a case  give 
a few  hemp, — and  only  a few , unless  the  bird  be 
a long  breed,  in  which  case  give  about  a thimble- 
ful, not  of tener  than  twice  a week.  Goldfinches  and 
siskins  are  fed  upon 

Maw-seed,  sometimes  called  poppy.  These  two  lit- 
tle climbing  birds  have  very  soft  bills,  — that  is,  the 
young  birds,  — and  it  is  with  difficulty  that  they 
crack  rape  and  canary  seed,  unless  it  has  been  previ- 
ously soaked,  until  the  birds  are  at  least  two  years  old. 
All  birds  are  great  lovers  of  maw-seed  ; and  it  must 
be  fed  sparingly ; for,  being  a powerful  opiate, 
they  will  feed  upon  it  until  they  drop  from  the 
perch  from  its  intoxicating  effect.  The  few  birds 
that  require  this  seed,  besides  the  preceding,  a fe  the 
bulfinch,  canary,  and  occasionally  some  other  seed- 
eating bird;  for  which  see  Treatment  of  Birds.  The 
next  seed  used  is  called 

Paddy,  — unhulled  or  rough  rice.  This  seed  is  fed 
to  most  of  the  seed-eating  birds  of  the  rice-fields  of 
the  Southern  States,  and  also  those  that  come  from 
China,  Java,  or  in  fact  from  any  part  of  the  world 
that  rice  is  grown.  All  of  the  family  of  grosbeaks 
are  particularly  fond  of  it,  as  is  also  the  Java  spar- 
row and  rice  bird.  Our  native  bobolink  is  not 


BIRD-SEED. 


n 


averse  to  a bountiful  supply ; but,  with  the  feeding 
of  this  in  any  quantity,  his  vocal  powers  are  ruined. 
For  the  family  of  finches, 

Millet-seed  is  used  exclusively.  It  is  the  size 
and  color  of  mustard-seed,  very  sweet ; and  birds 
thrive  remarkably  well  upon  it,  though  many  of  them 
will  also  eat  readily  of  rape  and  canary  seed.  This 
seed,  being  nutritious,  can  be  fed  to  any  seed-eating 
bird,  and  without  detriment  to  them.  The  only 
other  food  required  is 

Cracked  Corn  and  cracked  wheat.  This  is  fed 
principally  to  macaws,  parrots,  paroquets  (of  the 
larger  species),  cockadillos,  cockatoos,  lories,  &c. 
The  corn,  being  of  a heating  nature,  should  only  be 
given  in  small  quantities. 

By  the  present  postal  laws,  seed  can  be  sent 
safely  through  the  mail ; and  all  orders  intrusted 
to  us  will  be  filled  with  the  very  best  quality,  and 
the  largest  possible  amount  forwarded  for  the  money 
sent. 

To  those  living  remote  from  a bird-store,  and  de- 
siring one  of  “ God’s  joyous  warblers,”  it  is  with 
pleasure  that  we  here  state  that  they  can  be  safely 
sent  by  express  to  any  part  of  the  United  States  or 
Canadas.  All  any  party  need  do  is  to  give  an  order 
to  an  express  company,  accompanying  the  same 
with  a five-dollar  bill,  — this  is  very  important  to  the 
express  company,  — and  for  this  sum  he  will  procure 
you  a first-class  singing  canary.  I am  aware  that 
many  people  are  reluctant  to  trust  a bird  to  the 
supposed  rough  handling  of  an  expressman.  The 


72 


TRANSPORTING  BIRDS. 


expressman  may  handle  a trunk  roughly,  and  throw 
packages  around  in  a careless  manner,  but  not 
the  little  innocent  bird. 

Could  you  but  see,  as  the  author  has  so  many, 
many  times,  on  a cold,  bleak  winter’s  day,  an  ex- 
press-messenger, clad  in  an  ordinary  under-coat, 
drive  to  the  store  door,  and  take  from  his  wagon  a 
package  of  birds  closely  wrapped  in  his  overcoat , re- 
marking as  he  placed  the  package  within  the  door, 
“I  could  not  bear,  Mr.  Holden,  to  see  the  little 
things  suffer  such  a terrible  day  as  this.”  Or  had 
you  been  with  the  author  one  stormy  night  last 
winter,  when  coming  eastward  from  New  York 
by  steamer,  upon  which  was  a large  shipment  of 
birds  in  charge  of  the  Adams  Express  Company,  you 
might  have  seen  the  messenger,  on  arriving  at  Fall 
River,  carry  the  package  with  the  utmost  care  into 
the  cars,  and  place  it  near  the  stove  in  that  part  of 
the  car  usually  occupied  by  himself.  The  comfort 
and  safety  of  these  helpless  creatures  was  'to  him  of 
the  utmost  importance.  Having  some  curiosity,  I 
asked  him  why  he  was  so  particular  about  the  package, 
he  replied,  without  knowing  to  whom  he  was  speak- 
ing, “ Ah,  sir,  I love  those  little  birds  ! they  can- 
not take  care  of  themselves,  and  God  knows  my  first 
duty  is  to  them.”  A call  at  the  office  of  the  com- 
pany revealed  the  fact,  that  the  messenger  was  Mr. 
David  Crowley,  one  of  the  three  survivors  of  the 
fated  r Lexington,”  which  was  burned  in  1842.  The 
house  of  Charles  Reiche  & Brother  have  shipped 
nearly  half  a million  birds  ; and  this  immense  number 


TAMING  AND  TRAINING. 


73 


without  any  loss  worthy  of  mention.  If  our  ex- 
perience is  worth  any  thing,  do  not  hesitate  to 
order;  for  the  express  company  will  always  pur- 
chase at  the  point  nearest  your  residence,  and  get 
them  to  you  with  as  little  exposure  as  possible. 

Almost  all  fanciers  take  a delight  in  having  their 
birds  so  tame  that  they  will  not  only  take  their  food 
from  the  hand,  but  will  readily  fly  to,  and  remain 
with,  the  person  from  whom  they  daily  receive  atten 
tion.  When  wild  birds  are  first  caught  and  placed 
in  a cage,  it  is  not  well  to  begin  at  once  upon  their 
education.  It  requires  some  little  time  for  them  to 
become  accustomed  to  their  new  mode  of  life  : the 
change  of  food,  together  with  a diminishing  of  their 
usual  exercise,  so  changes  the  fluids  that  the  bird  is 
not  in  a healthy  condition,  and  is  therefore  wholly 
unfit  for  mental  training. 

There  are  some  birds  which  seem  thoroughly  in- 
capable of  learning  the  important  fact,  that  their  at- 
tendant is  their  friend.  When  it  is  discovered  that 
such  is  the  nature  of  the  bird  in  hand,  it  is  as  well 
to  give  up  all  hopes  of  attaining  favorable  results. 
Patience  will,  however,  accomplish  much ; and  it  is 
best  to  give  a long  and  careful  trial  before  pronoun- 
cing final  judgment.  Young  birds  can  be  taught 
more  easily  than  old  ones.  Yet  with  siskins,  gold- 
finches, Java  sparrows,  and  chaffinches  almost  any 
age  will  answer.  One  of  the  best  ways  to  teach  a 
bird  to  fly  and  return,  or  to  go  out  of  doors  perched 
upon  the  finger  or  shoulder,  is  first  to  tease  it  with  a 
soft  feather  in  its  cage,  leaving  the  door  open.  The 


74 


TAMING  AND  TRAINING. 


bird  at  first  will  appear  frightened,  but,  on  finding 
that  no  harm  is  intended,  will  peck  at  the  feather, 
which  should  be  quickly  withdrawn.  The  bird,  soon 
thinking  that  it  has  mastered  the  feather,  thereby 
gains  confidence,  and  will  peck  at  the  finger : soon 
it  will  come  out  of.  its  cage,  and  perch  upon  the 
hand.  A few  choice  morsels  should  be  laid  down  for 
it ; and  in  this  way  it  will  soon  learn  to  eat  from  the 
hand  itself.  The  bird  should  then  be  made  ac- 
quainted with  some  call,  which  should  invariably 
be  used  whenever  the  training  is  going  on ; after  a 
short  time  the  bird  can  be  placed  upon  the  shoulder, 
and  carried  from  one  room  to  another,  care  being 
taken  to  close  the  windows  and  outside  doors.  In 
this  way  it  will  speedily  become  accustomed  to  being 
handled,  and  can  be  allowed  to  fly  about  the  room, 
inviting  it  to  return  by  the  previously-arranged  call 
or  whistle.  As  soon  as  it  attends  to  the  call  with- 
out appearing  nervous  or  frightened,  it  can  be  taken 
into  the  open  air,  and  gradually  accustomed  to  being 
'carried  abroad  without  its  offering  to  fly. 

Adult  birds  should  not  be  carried  into  the  open 
air  in  the  spring  or  in  pairing  time  ; for  at  this  season 
of  the  year  they  show  indications  of  resuming  their 
native  wildness.  A siskin,  goldfinch,  or  canary  can 
easily  be  tamed  by  cutting  away  more  or  less  of  the 
inner  web  of  the  pinion-feathers,  care  being  taken 
that  the  bird  shall  have  sufficient  power  to  fly  from 
the  hand  without  injury.  The  nostrils  are  then 
smeared  with  any  essential  oil,  — bergamot  is  as  good 
us  any, — which  will  render  it  partially  insensible  for  a 


TAMING  AND  TRAINING. 


75 


time.  Tt  should  then  be  placed  upon  a finger,  and 
changed  from  one  to  another.  It  may  fly  a few 
times,  but  should  be  brought  back,  and  kept  upon 
the  hand  until  the  effects  of  the  oil  have  wholly 
passed  away,  when  the  bird,  finding  no  harm  is  in- 
tended, will  sit  quietly.  A few  crushed  hemp-seeds 
should  be  given  for  its  good  behavior,  and  the  above 
repeated  from  day  to  day  until  a satisfactory  result 
is  obtained.  Hunger  will  speedily  teach  a bird  to 
take  food  from  the  hand.  Place  it  in  a small  cage,  — 
one  that  has  a door  large  enough  for  the  hand  to  pass 
through,  — then  remove  all  food.  In  a few  hours  try 
putting  a seed-dish  into  the  cage  with  your  hand : if 
the  bird  flutters  wildly  about,  and  refuses  to  accept 
your  offering,  remove  your  dish,  and  wait  a few  hours 
longer.  You  will  not  be  compelled  to  remain  long 
in  suspense,  for  two  or  three  trials  will  generally 
effect  a good  result.  After  food  has  been  accepted 
from  the  dish,  try  your  hand ; and  as  soon  as  you 
have  convinced  your  pupil  that  only  from  you  can 
food  be  procured,  and  to  you,  and  you  only,  must  he 
look  for  all  his  goodies,  a friendship  will  be  formed 
which  he  will  not  be  first  to  break.  Birds  that  are 
desired  to  be  tame  should  be  talked  to  and  made 
of : they  should  be  placed  upon  your  writing-table, 
and  every  now  and  again  a little  notice  taken  of 
them.  It  is'  surprising  how  speedily  these  little 
fellows  will  learn  the  difference  between  neglect  and 
attention.  Some  of  the  best  birds  which  have  been 
placed  on  exhibition  have  been  those  owned  by 
tailors  and  shoemakers,  who,  owing  to  the  nature 


76 


TAMING  AND  TRAINING. 


of  their  business,  could  keep  their  feathered  pupils 
constantly  with  them. 

Thus  far  I have  spoken  only  of  taming  these 
“ little  dewdrops.”  They  are  capable  of  still  greater 
things,  and  can,  with  little  or  no  coercion,  be  taught 
to  perform  many  amusing  tricks.  The  goldfinch 
and  siskin  may  be  taught  to  fire  off  small  cannon, 
to  imitate  death,  to  draw  up  their  food  and  water  in  a 
little  bucket.  The  apparatus  consists  of  two  lines 
of  broad,  soft  leather,  in  which  there  are  four  holes, 
through  which  their  feet  and  wings  are  passed,  and 
the  ends  are  held  together  beneath  the  belly  by  a 
ring,  to  which  is  attached  a delicate  chain  that  sup- 
ports the  buckets  containing  the  food  and  drink. 
A bird  thus  equipped  will  draw  up  the  chain  by  its 
beak,  retaining  the  draw  links  by  its  feet,  and  thus 
succeeds  in  obtaining  what  he  wishes.  A cage  can 
be  made  with  a bay-window,  in  the  floor  of  which 
have  a hole : across  this  place  a narrow  bridge  of 
wood,  to  which  attach  a small  chain  or  piece  of  cord 
to  hold  the  bucket,  which  should  be  about  the  size 
of  a thimble.  By  drawing  up  the  bucket  filled  with 
water,  and  letting  the  bird  drink,  then  lowering  it 
and  pulling  it  part  way  up,  he  will  soon  acquire  the 
habit  of  working  at  it.  And,  by  gradually  leaving 
a longer  and  longer  length  of  chain  between  the 
bridge  and  the  bucket,  the  bird  will  9O0n  discover 
that  he  must  pull  the  chain  up  into  the  cage,  and 
hold  it  after  it  is  there  ; and  he  readily  comprehends 
the  necessity  of  holding  the  chain  with  his  foot.  A^ 
soon  as  this  is  done,  his  education  is  complete. 


TAMING  AND  TRAINING. 


77 


Birds  which  are  taught  in  this  way  never  forget,  and 
are  always  unhappy  if  out  of  their  cage.  Care 
should  be  taken  to  see  that  the  working  of  the  ap- 
paratus is  not  hard,  and  that  it  is  always  in  order, 
otherwise  a serious  result  might  follow.  A chain 
attached  to  a little  wagon  may  be  drawn  into  the 
cage  and  held  in  the  same  manner ; and  the  bird 
may  be  taught  to  ring  a bell  by  suspending  it  in  a 
corner  of  the  cage,  and  leaving  him  without  seed 
until  he  is  hungry,  pulling  the  string  attached  to  it 
and  ringing  it,  and  putting  some  favorite  food  into 
the  glass.  He  will  soon  discover,  that,  whenever  the 
bell  rings,  he  gets  his  food,  and  will  seize  the  string 
and  ring  it  whenever  he  is  hungry. 

A few  words  of  advice  to  those  about  purchas- 
ing a bird.  All  lovers  of  birds  desire  one  with 
beautiful  plumage,  as  well  as  one  gifted  with  exqui- 
site powers  of  song.  There  are  times  when  it  is 
impossible  to  secure  both  advantages  in  one  bird, 
and,  when  this  should  be  the  case,  always  select  the 
bird  for  his  beauty  of  song,  never  for  plumage.  In 
visiting  a bird-store  to  make  a purchase,  — perhaps 
your  first  one,  — if  the  dealer  has  a large  stock,  and 
there  is  an  incessant  singing,  it  is  almost  an  im- 
possibility for  any  person  to  select  just  such  a bird 
as  he  desires.  One  that  the  purchaser  may  think  is 
an  elegant  singer  may,  after  you  have  him  alone, 
prove  to  be  only  a “ twittering  ” bird,  and  his  song 
composed  of  only  six  or  eight  notes.  Again,  you 
may  select  a bird  for  a sick  friend  who  desires 
something  quieting,  — something  that  will  sing 


78 


TAMING  AND  TRAINING. 


“ words  of  comfort  for  hours  of  sorrow : ” you  may 
possibly  select  just  such  a bird  ; but  nine  times  out  of 
ten  you  are  liable  to  select  a loud,  shrill  singer,  whose 
notes  seemingly  pierce  the  brain. 

How  are  you  to  obtain  that  which  you  so  much 
desire  ? You  have  a friend  whose  bird  just  suits 
you;  but  that  particular  song  you  cannot  by  any 
possibility  select  in  a bird-store.  You  have  but  one 
resource  left ; and  that  is,  your  confidence  in  the 
dealer : tell  him  plainly  what  you  wish ; and,  if  he 
has  such  a bird,  you  may  depend  upon  his  giving  it 
to  you  ; for  he  knows,  even  better  than  the  purchaser, 
just  what  is  required  ; and  he  will  strive  to  please 
you,  thereby  not  only  gaining  your  esteem,  but  also 
the  patronage  of  your  friends,  whom  you  will  as- 
suredly send  to  “your  bird-store.”  One  source  of 
great  annoyance  to  a dealer  is,  after  having  select- 
ed such  a bird,  for  the  purchaser  to  turn  to  some 
other  patron  ( always  a perfect  stranger ) and  ask  his 
or  her  opinion  of  the  bird,  and  then  take  the  advice 
of  a person  whom  they  never  saw  before,  and  proba- 
bly will  never  see  again,  and  select  a bird  which 
the  dealer  knows  is  not  what  is  desired,  and  in  a 
few  days  — a week  at  furthest  — return  to  exchange 
it ; when,  by  taking  the  dealer’s  first  selection,  and 
holding  no  conversation  with  a stranger  whose 
knowledge  of  a bird  may  have  been  as  profound  as 
the  bird’s  knowledge  of  him  or  her,  thereby  causing 
a “ little  unpleasantness  ” between  dealer  and  patron, 
which  was  as  needless  as  it  was  unnecessary. 

Many  persons  have  an  idea  that  a bird  with  clear 


TAMING  AND  TRAINING. 


79 


yellow  feathers  is  the  best  singer,  while  others  main- 
tain that  those  with  dark-green  feathers  are  the  best, 
and  yet  others  think  that  a mottled  bird  is  the 
best  singer ; and  many  times  it  is  hard  to  convince 
people  otherwise.  Upon  inquiry,  we  find  these  ideas 
usually  based  upon  the  fact,  that  a friend  of  theirs 
once  had  a bird  such  and  such  a color,  and  it  was 
a very  fine  singer,  and  they  have  been  repeatedly 
told,  that  that  colored  bird  was  the  best  singer.  To 
those  who  labor  under  this  delusion  we  will  simply 
state,  that  there  are  birds  of  every  color  that  are  in- 
ferior singers,  and  also  those  of  every  color  that  are 
very  superior  singers.  The  fact  is,  a bird’s  feath- 
ers have  no  more  to  do  with  his  song  than  a lady’s 
dress  has  to  do  with  her  voice.  If  a lady  cannot 
sing  with  a plain  dress,  I doubt  very  much  whether 
a moire  trimmed  with  real  lace  would  give  her  that 
much-wished-for  accomplishment.  In  selecting  a 
cage  for  a bird,  always  look  first  to  his  comfort, 
never  forgetting  that  he  is  our  little  £aged  prisoner, 
and  our  first  duty  is  to  make  his  prison-life  happy. 
The  canary  and  many  other  birds  will  live  happily 
in  a cage  of  any  size  or  shape ; while  there  are 
many  birds  that  must  be  confined  in  a flat-top  cage  ; 
others  again  that  must  be  kept  in  a cage  the  top  of 
which  must  be  of  wood.  The  bird-dealer  is  always 
the  best  judge  of  the  kind  of  cage  best  adapted  to 
a bird’s  requirements  ; and,  if  you  follow  his  advice, 
you  cannot  go  amiss.  The  improvements  made  in 
cages  for  the  comfort  of  its  occupant  during  the 
past  three  years  have  been  very  many ; and,  in  mak- 


8o 


BIRD-CAGES. 


ing  these  improvements,  style  also  has  been  consult- 
ed. We  have  the  beautiful  moresque,  the  Chinese 
pagoda,  the  Swiss  cottage,  the  mansard,  gothic,  and 
in  fact  styles  after  every  order  of  architecture,  and 
many  of  them  are  very  beautiful,  and  certainly 
pleasing  to  the  eye.  A bird’s  comfort,  however, 
should  be  consulted  a little,  never  forgetting  that 
he  is  your  caged  prisoner ; and  your  first  thought 
always  must  be  to  make  his  prison  life  happy. 
Very  few  who  own  a 

“ Little  .dewdrop  of  celestial  melody  ” 

give  a moment’s  thought  to  the  fact  that  many  of  the 
song-birds  require  vastly  different  cages.  A canary 
will  pour  forth  his  chant  in  any  cage  in  which 
you  place  him.  True,  he  loves  a large  cage,  and 
will  fly  from  one  end  to  the  other  for  joy.  He  will 
even  take  a bath  several  times  a day  if  the  oppor- 
tunity is  given  him,  and  plume  his  feathers  times 
without  number.  All  this  he  will  do,  as  well  as  eat, 
and  sing  occasionally.  Should  you  keep  such  a 
bird  for  a pet,  such  a cage  would  answer  every  pur- 
pose : if  you  keep  the  bird  for  his  song,  *then  he 
must  be  kept  in  a small  cage. 

Owners  of  feathered  songsters  must  have  ob- 
served that  many  of  them  constantly  flutter  their 
wings,  and  look  up  as  if  about  to  fly  upwards  ; others 
again  look  up,  and  turn  their  heads  backwards,  until 
you  think  they  will  fall  backward,  which  they 
sometimes  do.  Did  it  ever  occur  to  the  owner  of 
such  a bird  that  he  was  not  in  a suitable  cage  ? for 


GRAVEL-PAPER  AND  SPRING  PERCH.  8 1 


such  is  the  fact.  To  those  who  have  not  studied 
this  branch  of  natural  history,  and  buy  for  the  first 
time  a bird  and  cage,  always  take  the  bird-dealer’s 
advice  as  regards  the  cage.  Your  bird  will  then 
sing  readily,  remain  quiet,-  and  not  fly  as  if  afraid 
of  his  life,  and  ruin  his  plumage  the  first  day  that 
you  possess  him. 

Amongst  the  many  recent  patented  improvements 
for  a bird’s  comfort,  none  are  more  worthy  of  men- 
tion than  the  Singer  gravel-paper,  and  Aldom’s 
Patent  spring  perch.  The  gravel-paper  is  cut  of 
suitable  sizes  to  fit  cages  of  almost  every  shape. 

The  paper  is  a very  superior  quality  of  heavy  ma- 
nila,  and  the  gravel,  or  bird  sand,  is  of  the  choicest. 
It  is  so  placed  as  to  loosely  adhere  to  the  paper  by 
a very  small  quantity  of  paste,  made  from  the  best 
of  flour,  which  allows  the  bird  to  pick  it  off  very 
readily;  and  this  gravel  is  just  as  essential  to  a bird 
as  his  seed  or  bath.  It  also  keeps  the  bottom  of  a 
cage  in  excellent  condition ; and  last,  though  not 
least,  it  keeps  the  bird’s  feet  perfectly  clean,  thereby 
keeping  him,  as  the  inventor  claims,  “ in  health  and 
song.” 

The  Aldom  spring  perch  is  an  ingenious  device 
at  imitating  the  swaying  of  the  limb  of  a tree : it 
gives  to  the  bird  a very  graceful  appearance ; and 
is  unlike  the  old-fashioned  swing,  which  has  broken 
so  many  limbs  of  birds.  With  this  perch  such  an 
occurrence  is  an  impossibility. 


6 


82 


CLEANING  BRASS  CAGES. 


A few  words  more,  and  we  say  — well,  never  mind 
what  we  say  until  you  read  the  last  line. 

The  few  words  are  on  the  subject  of  carefully 
wrapping  the  paper  around  the  cage  in  which  he  is 
taken  from  the  store. 

There  are  very  many  people  who  think  that  a bird 
will  “ smother  ” if  covered  up  closely.  Such,  how- 
ever, is  not  the  case.  A dealer  knows-  better  than 
any  one  else  possibly  can.  And,  if  the  purchaser 
would  only  remain  quiet'until  the  package  was  ready 
to  deliver,  he  or  she  would  always  discover  that  the 
last  thing  done  was  to  make  a few  small  holes  in  the 
top  to  let. out  the  hot  air,  but  by  no  means  let  in 
cold  ; if  so,  a bird  would  assuredly  catch  cold.  And 
lastly  I will  say  to  all  who  now  own  birds,  or  ever 
expect  to,  that  all  they  require  is  suitable  seed,  as 
you  have  been  informed  in  the  body  of  this  work, 
clean  water  for  drinking  and  bathing  daily,  gravel- 
paper  or  sand  on  the  bottom  of  the  cage,  a little 
green  stuff  or  sweet  apple,  once  in  three  or  four 
weeks,  — not  oftener,  — and  nothing  else . 

To  CLEAN  A BRASS,  SILVER,  OR  GOLD  PLATED  CAGE, 

always  wash  with  a sponge  or  piece  of  old  towel, 
using  clear  cold  water,  and  wipe  dry.  The  surface 
of  these  cages  being  varnished,  if  hot  water  is  used, 
they  will  have  the  appearance  of  being  spattered 
with  milk,  which  can  never  be  removed.  If  they 
are  scoured  the  same  as  brass  ware  ordinarily  is,  the 
varnish  will  be  removed,  and  the  cage  commence  to 
corrode,  and  require  polishing  daily. 


APPENDIX. 

THE  CANARY. 

I 

The  question  is  asked  daily,  Why  does  my  bird 
lose  the  feathers  around  his  bill,  and  his  head  become 
bare  ? There  are  two  reasons  for  this  : first,  Many 
birds  seem  afflicted  with  an  eruption,  or  skin-disease, 
which  causes  the  feathers  to  drop  out.  Such  birds 
should  be  fed  principally  upon  rape-seed,  and  occa- 
sionally a small  piece  of  raw  carrot,  of  which  most 
birds  are  very  fond ; and,  if  a little  olive-oil  is  at  times 
put  on  the  bare  spot,  the  feathers  will  commence  to 
grow  more  readily.  Secondly,  Many  birds  are  of  a 
nervous  and  irritable  disposition,  never  remaining 
in  one  position  for  a single  instant,  but  are  contin- 
ually hopping  to  and  fro  against  the  wires  of  their 
cages,  as  if  trying  to  get  out,  which  is  really  the 
case  ; and,  by  coming  constantly  in  contact  with  the 
hard  substance,  they  ruin  their  plumage. 

To  those  who  own  one  of  these  birds,  it  would 
be  well  to  hang  it  quite  low,  or,  better  still,  place 
it  on  a table  near  by,  where  its  owner  can  oc- 
casionally talk  to,  and  take  notice  of  it,  and  thereby 

83 


£4  BIRDS  BRISTLE  UP.  — SORE  FEET. 

cause  it  to  become  accustomed  to  its  home  ; and, 
when  partially  quieted,  bathe  the  bare  parts  with 
water  into  which  has  been  placed  a few  drops  of  the 
tincture  of  arnica  : after  the  soreness  (if  any  there  has 
been)  disappears,  use  a little  olive-oil,  as  before 
mentioned.  Oftentimes 

A Bird  bristles  up,  sits  moping  upon  the  perch, 
with  his  head  under  his  wing,  and.  looks  like  a puff- 
ball. If  this  is  occasioned  by  the  bird  having  diar- 
rhoea, give  the  remedies  as  directed  on  page  22. 
Should  it  be  occasioned  by  costiveness,  see,  also, 
article  on  page  22. 

Occasionally  a bird  will  act  in  this  manner  when 
he  has  neither  of  these  complaints.  Should  this  be 
the  case,  examine,  first,  his  food,  and  see  if  he  has 
been  fed  in  a proper  manner.  Many  times  it  will  be 
found  that  it  is  wholly  occasioned  by  neglect  in 
not  feeding  the  bird^  and  sometimes  by  not  supplying 
sufficient  water  for  the  bird  to  drink.  If,  however,  it 
should  prove  that  the  bird  has  plenty  of  food,  and  is 
perfectly  regular,  then  make  a change  in  his  food, 
taking  away  the  seed,  and  feeding  the  soft  food,  as 
described  on  page  26  ; and  perhaps  a small  piece  of 
sweet  apple  may  be  found  beneficial.  Birds  will  at 
times  be  afflicted  with 

Sore  Feet.  — This  malady  is  usually  occasioned  by 
using  a very  small  perch,  and  also  by  not  using  suffi- 
cient gravel  for  the  bird  to  keep  his  feet  clean.  The 
perches  for  a canary,  or  other  bird  of  similar  size,  should 
never  be  less  than  seven-sixteenths  of  an  inch  in  diam- 
eter, and  even  larger;  and  for  a mocking-bird,  and  all 


WILL  NOT  BATHE. 


85 


birds  of  his  size,  perches  of  three-quarters  to  seven- 
< eighths  of  an  inch  in  diameter  are  far  preferable.  With 
such  perches,  and  plenty  of  gravel,  a bird  will  seldom 
have  sore  feet.  Should  he,  however,  be  so  troubled, 
the  best  remedy  is  a bath  of  warm  water,  to  which  a 
little  tincture  of  arnica  has  been  added.  Occasion- 
ally we  are  told  that  a bird 

Will  not  Bathe,  and  asked  how  we  can  make  it. 
In  reply,  I can  only  say  that  I have  never  yet,  in  an  ex- 
perience of  nearly  twenty-five  years,  seen  a bird  that 
will  not  bathe.  True,  some  will  not  enter  a bath-dish, 
as  we  would  wish  them  to,  and  will  persist  in  putting 
their  heads  into  their  drinking-cups  or  fountains  in- 
stead, and,  after  wetting  their  head,  push  it  through 
their  feathers,  and  then,  with  their  bill,  thoroughly  clean 
themselves  ; which  is  very  like  the  person  who  uses 
the  “wet  end  of  a towel,”  instead  of  taking  a proper 
ablution  : for  this  there  is  no  help  ; and  we  can. only 
hope,  that,  with  age,  they  will  discover  the  beauties  of  a 
toilet  which  can  only  be  arranged  after  a first-class  bath. 

Those  who  raise  birds  are  often  annoyed  by  the 
male,  and  sometimes  by  the  female  bird 

Eating  the  Eggs  as  soon  as  they  are  laid ; and,  of 
course,  all  bird-raisers  are  anxious  to  knowhow  to  pre- 
vent it.  It  usually  occurs  from  improper  feeding.  Birds 
that  are  mated  require  rich  food  ; and  this  rich  food 
should  be  given  for  three  to  four  weeks  previous  to 
mating  them.  When  this  is  done,  it  is  very  rare 
that  the  eggs  are  disturbed.  The  richest  and  best 
food  that  can  be  made,  and  the  manner  of  making,  is 
fully  described  on  page  26. 


86 


ANNOYING  SETTING  BIRDS. 


Another  source  of  great  annoyance  to  bird-breeders 
is  the  fact,  that,  occasionally,  the  old  birds  desert  the 
young,  and  leave  them  to  starve.  This  I never  knew 
to  occur  where  birds  were  placed  in  a suitable  place, 
as  described  on  page  27,  and  always  fed  and  cared  for 
by  the  same  person.  It  is  the  constant  annoyance  to 
which  a bird  is  subjected  that  occasions  this.  To 
those  who  have  had  this  ill-luck,  it  is  usually  the  fault 
of  themselves.  They  take  great  pride  in  the  birds 
they  are  prospectively  going  to  raise ; and,  as  soon  as 
they  are  from  the  egg,  the  cage  is  taken  down  on  all 
occasions,  and  shown  to  every  visitor ; and,  when  it 
is  too  much  trouble  to  take  it  down,  the  step-ladder,  a 
chair,  or  table  is  brought  into  action  in  order  to 
show  up  the  bird-family  ; and  then  the  bird-dealers 
are  asked  the  question,  “ Why  did  my  old  bird  desert 
the  young  before  they  were  a week  old  ?”  Those  who 
have  had  this  ill-luck  doubtless  see  wherein  success 
in  the  future  awaits  them.  Occasionally  there  is  no 
apparent  cause  for  the  old  birds  deserting  the  young. 
When  such  proves  to  be  the  case,  and  the  old  birds 
are  very  good  ones,  it  is  always  well  to  bring  the 
young  up  by  hand,  using  the  food  described  above, 
and  using  a quill  with  a small  piece  cut  from  one 
side,  similar  to  the  old-fashioned  quill-pen.  It  can 
then  be  used  as  a spoon  ; and,  with  three  or  four 
such  spoonfuls,  feed  them  every  hour,  and  not  feed 
oftener  than  once  an  hour,  using  judgment  in  not 
over-feeding  the  birds.  It  is  always  a good  rule  to 
take  the  nest  from  the  cage,  and  keep  the  young 
birds  in  it,  covering  them  over  slightly,  until  they  are 


BATHING  WHILE  MATED. 


87 


well  feathered.  They  should  then  be  fed  as  is  de- 
scribed for  young  birds  on  page  26.  The  question  is 
repeatedly  asked, 

“ Do  Birds  Bathe  whilst  Mated  ? ” We  can 
only  say,  that  some  do,  and  some  do  not.  It  is 
always  well  to  give  a bird  its  bath,  and  leave  it  to 
the  bird's  judgment  whether  to  bathe  or  not.  It 
has  always  been  the*  wish  of  all  bird-fanciers  to 
introduce,  if  possible,  into  this  country,  the  king  of 
songsters  of  the  Old  World,  — the 

English  Nightingale.  — Improper  feeding,  and 
other  causes,  have  seemed,  so  far,  to  render  it  almost 
an  impossibility  to  keep  one  of  these  birds  more  than 
a few  months  ; and,  for  the  benefit  of  the  lovers  of 
this  bird,  we  will  give  an  extract  from  a letter  from 
Mr.  George  B.  Pearson  of  Beverley,  Mass.  He 
says,  — 

“ I have  always  kept  this  bird  in  one  place ; fed 
him  on  Reiche's  Prepared  (bottle)  Mocking-bird  Food 
and  ants'  eggs,  mixed  half  and  half.  This  he  has  had 
for  six  days  of  the  week  ; and,  on  the  seventh  day,  I 
have  grated  on  a horseradish-grater  common  yellow 
turnip,  and  mixed  this  with  an  equal  quantity  of 
ants'  eggs ; and,  during  the  season  of  moulting,  I 
have  fed  him  six  to  eight  meal-worms  per  day.  With 
this  treatment,  he  fully  moulted  in  five  weeks,  and 
commenced  singing  at  once.  I have  always  been 
very  particular  to  keep  his  cage,  perches,  and  feeding- 
dish  very  clean  ; have  used  gravel  (sand)  in  the  cage 
freely,  and  given  him  his  bath  daily ; and  I see  no 
reason  why,  if  the  same  rule  is  followed,  that  any 


88  SKY-LARK  AND  ENGLISH  SPARROW. 


bird  cannot  be  kept  in  health  and  song  for  many 
years.”  The  article  on  the 

Sky  and  Wood  Lark,  on  page  39,  does  not  make 
mention  of  the  bird’s  habits  as  regards  cleanliness. 
It  is  very  rare  that  one  of  the  birds  will  take  a bath, 
much  preferring  — like  domestic  fowls  — to  dust 
themselves*;  and  for  this  reason  sand  or  gravel  must 
be  used  very  freely,  and  always  kept  in  the  cage  to 
the  depth  of  not  less  than  half  an  inch.  The  lark 
requires  what  is  known  as  the  lark-cage,  and  will 
not  do  well  in  any  other.  It  is  a low-priced  cage, 
and  can  always  be  purchased  at  any  bird-store. 

A very  general  desire  for  all  obtainable  information 
in  regard  to  the 

English  Sparrow  has  brought  to  light  the  sta- 
tistics of  a celebrated  English  author,  Mr.  Bradley, 
who,  in  his  “.General  Treatise  on  Husbandry  and 
Gardening,”  shows  that  a pair  of  sparrows,  during 
the  time  they  have  their  young  to  feed,  destroy 
on  an  average,  every  week,  3,360  caterpillars.  This 
calculation  he  founded  upon  actual  observation.  He 
discovered  that  the  two  parents  carried  to  the  nest 
forty  caterpillars  in  an  hour.  He  supposed  the  spar- 
rows to  enter  the  nest  only  during  twelve  hours  each 
day,  which  would  cause  a daily  consumption  of  480 
caterpillars.  This  sum  gives  3,360  caterpillars  ex- 
tirpated weekly  from  a single  garden.  When  you 
add  to  this  the  tens  of  thousands  of  the  army  and 
canker  worms,  the  fruit-moth,  slug,  Hessian  fly,  and 
legions  of  other  insects  that  sting  our  fruit,  all  of 
which  the  sparrow  devours,  then,  and  not  until  then, 
will  you  know  his  value. 


SOFT  FOOD  FOR  BIRDS. 


89 


Food  for  a canary,  when  ailing,  or  when  mated, 
or  suitable  to  feed  to  young  birds  when  they  are 
brought  up  by  hand,  will  be  found  on  page  26.  There 
is  no  better  food  for  the  mocking-bird  than  Reiche’s, 
as  noticed  on  page  43.  Occasionally  a food  made  as 
follows  is  beneficial  : — 

One  hard-boiled  egg  grated  on  a coarse  grater ; of 
raw  carrot,  grated  the  same  way,  about  the  same 
quantity  as  of  the  egg ; and  of  cracker  rolled  fine, 
as  described  on  page  26,  sufficient  to  take  up  the 
moisture,  — about  one  cracker  and  a half.  This 
makes  a good  food  ; and  it  is  of  advantage  to  feed  it 
part  of  the  time  in  summer,  and  during  moulting,  as 
it  acts  as  a mild  cathartic  on  the  bird,  and  it  can  also 
be  fed  to  all  soft-bill  birds. 

Occasionally  a bird’s  limbs  will  be  covered  with 
scales,  particularly  an  old  bird’s.  The  best  way  to 
remove  this  is  to  moisten  the  limb  with  quite  warm 
milk ; and  a slight  rubbing  with  the  thumb  and 
fore-finger  back  and  forth  will  cause  it  to  peel  off. 
Care  should  be  taken,  however,  not  to  break  the 
under-skin. 

Swollen  and  Sore  Limbs  are  greatly  relieved, 
and  oftentimes  a permanent  cure  effected,  by  bathing 
the  affected  parts  with  diluted  tincture  of  arnica. 

Trapping  Birds.  — Bird-dealers  are  constantly 
receiving  orders  and  calls  for  “ bird-lime.”  This  arti- 
cle is  made  from  the  inside  bark  of  the  holly,  — a tree 
almost  unknown  in  this  country,  though  very  plentiful 
in  England.  A substitute  for  this  can  be  made  by 
boiling  linseed -oil  away  to  about  one-third  the 


90 


TRAPPING  BIRDS.  — SAFFRON. 


quantity  you  start  with.  It  is  a very  dangerous 
operation,  and  should  never  be  done  in  a house,  its 
explosive  qualities  being  fully  equal  to  gunpowder.  It 
will  make  a very  strong  bird-lime,  and  hold  any  small 
bird  that  lights  upon  a twig  that  has  been  smeared 
with  it.  Unless,  however,  the  trapper  is  near  at  hand 
to  remove  the  bird  at  once,  he  becomes  besmeared  all 
over  his  body  and  wings  ; and  it  is  almost  impossible 
to  remove  it  until  the  bird  moults,  thereby,  for  the 
time  being,  ruining  the  sale  of  it.  A far  better  way 
is  with  a trap-cage,  and  a bird  for  a caller ; and,  if 
you  can  obtain  a blind  bird,  he  will  sit  quietly,  and 
call  all  day  long,  and  many,  very  many  more  birds 
can  be  taken  than  if  the  bird  had  his  sight. 

Saffron  as  a Medicine  for  birds  seems  to  be 
almost  in  universal  use,  though  why  it  is  used  is  more 
than  the  author  has  ever  been  able  to  ascertain  from 
those  using  it,  more  than  that  “ My  folks  used  to  use 
it and  they  presume  that  the  bird  required  it.  The 
medicinal  property  of  saffron  is  diaphoretic,  and 
used  mostly  to  color  and  flavor  other  medicines. 
When  chewed,  it  leaves  a bitter  taste  in  the  mouth, 
though  a pleasant,  aromatic  flavor.  It  is  not  impos- 
sible that  its  bitter  taste  to  the  bird  may  give  an 
increased  appetite,  which,  perhaps,  the  bird  needed, 
and  in  that  way  health  is  restored.  The  author, 
however,  has  discovered  ho  medicinal  property  in  it, 
excepting  that  of  a cathartic ; and,  as  such,  it  is  very 
good.  But  quiet  to  the  bird  is  the  best  remedy  ; and 
it  is  best  obtained  by  covering  the  bird  up  quite 
closely  on  the  first  appearance  of  ailment. 


SYNONYMES 


Avadavat, 

Australian  Paroquets, 
Bulfinch, 

Black-Cap, 

Blackbird, 

Brazilian  Cardinal, 
Bobolink, 

Bishop  Finch, 

Banded  Finch, 

Cordon  Bluefinch, 
Cut-throat  Finch, 
Canary, 

Chaffinch, 

Diamond  Sparrow, 
English  Sparrow, 
Firefinch, 

Goldfinch, 

Goldfinch  Mules, 
Grosbeak,  F.ose-breasted, 
Grosbeak,  Cardinal, 
Indigo  Bird, 

Indian  Sparrow, 

Indian  Silver  Bill, 

Java  Sparrow, 

Lark,  Sky, 

Lark,  Wood, 

Linnet,  Gray, 

Linnet,  Green, 

Linnet,  Red, 

Little  Doctor  (finch), 
Magpie,  Finch, 


Of  the  Ornithologist. 
Estrelda  amandava. 
Pezoporinus  formosus. 
Pyrrhula  rubicilla, 
Sylvia  atricapilla, 
Turdus  Merula, 
Parvonia  cuculata, 
Dolichonyx  oxyzivorus. 
Eupleetes  Oryx. 
Amadina  fasciata.  • 
Mariposa  phcenicotis. 
Amadina  fasciata. 
Dryaspiza  Canaria, 
Fringilla  ccelebs, 
Amadina  Latham  i. 
Passer  domesticus, 
Eupleetes  Petiti. 
Fringilla  carduelis, 

Guiraca  Ludovicianus. 
Cardinalis  Virginianus. 
Cyanospiza  Cyanea, 
Amadina  fasciata. 
Munia  Malabarica. 
Padda  Oryzivora, 
Alanda  awensis, 

Corys  alanda  arborea, 
Fringilla  cannabina, 

F ringilla  chloris, 
Carpodacus  purpureus, 
Amadina  nitens. 
Spermestis  cuculata. 


Of  the  German. 

Dompfaff. 

Schwarz  Plattchen. 
Schwarz  Amsel. 
Brasiiianischer  Cardinal 


Canarien  Vogel. 
Buch  Finck. 

Sperling,  Spats. 

Distel  finck. 
Bastard. 


Indigo. 


Reis  Vogel. 

Feld  Lerche. 

Holz  Lerche. 
Hanferling,  Grauer. 
Hanferling,  Griiner. 
Hanferling,  Rother. 


91 


92 


SYNONYMES.- 


Mockmg-Birdj 

Nightingale, 

Nonpareil, 

Nun  Finch, 

Paradise  Whydah  Bird, 
Parrot,  Gray, 


Of  the  Ornithologist. 
Mimus  Polyglottus, 
Luscinia  Philomela, 
Cyanospiza  ciris. 
Muria  Malacca. 

Vidua  paradisea, 

Psittacus  Erythacus, 


Of  the  German* 
Spott  Vogel. 
Nachtigall. 


Paradies  Finck. 

Grauer  Papagay  von 
Africa. 

Grur.er  Papagay. 
Gelb-Kopfiger  Papagay. 

Roth-Kehlchen. 

Americanischer  Robin. 
Goldener  Robin. 
Rothvogel. 


Zeisig. 

Staar,  Europseischer. 
Drossel. 

Virginische  NaclxtigalL 
Wachs  Schnabel. 
.Weber. 

Gelb  Vogel. 


Parrot,  Green, 

Parrot,  Yellow-Head, 
Quaker  Finch, 

Robin  Redbreast,  Eng- 
lish, 

Robin,  American, 

Robin,  Golden, 

Red  Bird, 

Redtail  Finch, 

Silver-bill  Finch, 
Spice-bird  Finch, 

Saffron  Finch, 

Siskin, 

Song-Sparrow, 

Starling,  European, 
South- American  Troopial 
Song  Thrush, 

Virginia  Nightingale, 
Wax-bill  Finch, 

Weavers, 

Yellow  Bird, 


Chrysotis, 

Chrysotis  Amazon  icus, 
Muria  cantata. 

Erythaca  rubecula, 

Turdus  migratorius, 
Icterus  Baltimore, 
Cardinalis  Virginianus, 
Estrelda  ruficanda. 
Munia  cantata. 

Munia  undulata. 
Sycalis  Braziliensis. 
Fringilla  spinus, 
Melospiza  melodia. 
Sturnus  vulgaris, 
Icterus  vulgaris. 
Turdus  musicus, 
Cardinalis  Virginianus, 
Estrelda  cinerea, 
Plocxi, 

Chrysomitris  tristis, 


OUR  PRICE-LIST, 


The  constant  inquiry,  by  mail  and  otherwise,  since  the  issue  of  the 
two  previous  editions,  for  prices  of  the  various  birds,  has  rendered  it 
necessary  to  publish  the  following  list  of  prices  : — 

m 

All  young  male  canaries  are  sold  for  each  $4.00 

Canary-birds  that  have  been  taught  to  pipe  a tune  are  usually 

sold  at  each  $ 20.00  to  $50.00 

Canary-birds  that  have  part  of  a tune  mixed  with  their  ordinary 

song  are  usually  sold  at  each  $10.00  to  $20.00 

Canary-birds  that  have  the  notes  of  the  English  Nightingale, 

Lark,  Robin,  or  of  other  fine  whistling  birds,  mingled 
with  their  own  song,  sell  at  prices  varying  from 

each  $5.00  to  $10.00 

Canary-birds  of  a deep  golden  color,  in  perfect  plumage,  usually 

sell  for  each  $7.00 

Cinnamon  Canary.  This  highly-prized  bird,  if  in  perfect  plu- 
mage and  song,  sells  at  prices  varying  from 

each  $10.00  to  $20.00 

Canary-birds  of  an  olive-green  or  golden-brown  color  usually 

sell  at  each  $5.00 

All  female  canaries  of  the  ordinary  colors  are  sold  at  each  $1.50 

High-colored  females,  either  a deep  golden  color,  olive-green, 
golden-brown,  or  any  clear  stock,  sell  at  prices  varying 
from  each  $2.00  to  $4.00 

The  above  prices  for  males  and  females  apply  to  the  short  or  Ger- 
man birds,  which  are  the  finest  songsters. 

Long  Breed  or  French  Canaries,  sometimes  called  Belgium  or 
Antwerp  birds,  are  sold  at  prices  varying  from 

each  $5.00  to  $15.00 

Males  and  females  both  bring  the  same  price. 

The  above  prices  refer  to  imported  stock. 

Half  Long  Breed  Canaries  are  sold  at  prices  varying  from 

each  $4.00  to  $12.00 
93 


94 


OUR  PRICE-LIST. 


The  demand  for  Long  Breed  birds  is  so  limited,  that  there  have  been 
none  imported  worthy  of  calling  an  importation  for  the  past  five  years. 


The  Bulfinch,  unlearned 
“ “ that  pipes  one  tune 

“ “ “ two  tunes 

u u u “ three  tunes 

The  Black-Cap  Warbler 
The  Blackbird 

“ “ that  pipes  one  tune 

The  Brazilian  Cardinal 

“ “ a very  choice  songster 

The  Goldfinch 

“ a very  choice  songster 
The  Goldfinch  Mule 

a very  choice  songster 


each  $ 3.00  to  $5.00 
each  $15.00  to  f 
each  $35.00  to  : 


53.00  to 
>.00  to  $ 
;.oo  to  l 
>5.00  to  ) 

$ 

52.00  to  i 


(t  U ll 


Chaffinch 
Java  Sparrows 
Sky-Larks 

“ “ choice  songsters 

Wood-Lark 

“ “ choice  songsters 

Linnet,  Gray  or  Brown 

“ u u choice  songsters 

“ Green 

11  choice  songsters 

Nightingale 

“ choice  songsters 
Siskin 
Starling 

“ that  pipes  one  tune 
Troopial 
Thrush 

“ choice  songsters 


J.0.00 

570.00 
00.00 
$6.00 
>15.00 
>40.00 
$8.00 
>10.00 
;.oo 
$5.00 
>5.00  to  $8.00 
$10.00 

and  high  colored 

each  $10.00  to  $25.00 
each  $3.00  to  $5.00 
each  $2.00  to  $2.50 
each  $4.00  to  $5.00 
each  $6.00  to  $10.00 


each  : 
each  $: 
each  $1 
each  ; 

each  ; 

each  ; 


each  $5.00  to  $8.00 
each  $15.00 
each  $2.50  to  $4.00 
each  $5.00 
each  $5.00 
each  $7.00 
each  $10.00  to  $20.00 
each  $25.00 
each  $1.50  to  $3.00 
each  $5.00  to  $10.00 
each  $15.00  to  $40.00 
each  $12.00  to  $15.00 
each  $8.00  to  $15.00 
each  $15.00  to  $25.00 


All  the  above  are  imported  birds ; and  the  highest  prices  quoted 
should  purchase  the  choicest  bird  of  its  kind  in  any  part  of  America. 

The  following  birds,  suitable  for  the  aviary,  comprising  Avadavat  or 
Amandava,  Bishop  Finch,  Banded  Finch,  Cordon  Bluefinch,  Cut- 
throat Finch,  Celestial  Finch,  Cuba  Finch,  Diamond  Sparrow,  Fire- 
finch,  Fascinated  Finch,  Indian  Sparrow,  Indian  Silver-bill,  The  Little 
Doctor,  Magpie  Finch,  Negro,  Nun  (both  black  and  white  capped), 
Quaker  Finch,  Rockhampton  Finch,  Spotted-sided  Finch,  Saffron 
Finch,  St.  Helena  Waxbill,  Spice  Birds. 

All  the  preceding  birds  average  $3.00  each,  and  are  imported  from 
Europe,  Asia,  and  Africa. 


OUR  PRICE-LIST. 


95 


Beautiful  aviary  cages  for  twelve  to  twenty  birds 
“ “ to  hold  twenty  to  forty  birds 


$ 18.00 


Australian  Paroquets 
Robin  Redbreasts  (English) 
English  Sparrows 
Parrots,  gray  (young  birds) 

“ “ talkers 

11  11  extra  fine  talkers 


a pair  $10.00  to  $15.00 
each  $5.00 
a pair  $2.50  to  $3.00 
each  $10.00  to  $15.00 
each  $20.00  to  $30.00 
each  $30.00  to  $50.00 
“ 11  u 11  11  and  singers  each  $50.00  to  $100.00 

u Double-yellow  Head  command  the  same  prices  as  above. 

“ Half-yellow  Head  figure  about  25  per  cent  less. 

“ Green  about  half  the  price  of  Gray. 

The  above  are  imported  from  Australia,  Africa,  and  South  America. 


Bobolink  (wild) 

“ in  full  song 

Cardinal  Bird 
Fire  Bird 

Grosbeak,  rose-breasted 
“ in  full  song 

“ Cardinal 
Indigo  Bird  (wild) 

1 1 “in  full  song 

Linnets,  red  (wild) 

“ in  full  song 
Mocking-Birds  (nestling) 

“ one-year-old,  in  song 

“ two-year-old  choice  songsters 

u learned  ones,  to  whistle  a tune 

Nonpareils 
Robins  (American) 

“ Golden 
Red  Birds 
Song-Sparrows 
“ “ in  full  song 

Virginia  Nightingales 
Yellow  Birds  (American  Goldfinch) 


each  $0.50  to  $1.00 
each  $1.00  to  $3.00 
each  $3.50  to  $5.00 
each  $2.00  to  $5.00 
each  $3.50  to  $5.00 
.00  to  $10.00 
>3.50  to  $5.00 
each  $1.50 
3.50  to  $5.00 
each  $1.00 
each  $3100 
3.50  to  $7.00 
.00  to  $20.00 
'.00 


each 
each  ] 

each  1 


each 
each  $] 

each  $25.00  to 
nearly  perfect 

each  $75.00  to  $200.00 
each  $5.00 


each 

each 

each 


.00  to 
.00  to 
.50  to 
each 

.00  to  $5.00 
each  $3.50  to  $5.00 
each  $0.50  to  $3.00 


.00 

.00 


each  5 


The  above  are  American  birds,  and  comprise  all  that  are  usually  kept 
for  either  beauty  of  plumage,  or  elegance  of  song  ; and  of  many  of  them 
it  can  be  said,  — 

“ Notes  with  many  a winding  bout 
Of  linked  sweetness  long  drawn  out.” 

We  have  constantly  on  hand  cages  of  every  description,  and  at 
prices  varying  from  seventy-five  cents  to  forty  dollars;  viz.,  — 


96 


OUR  PRICE-LIST. 


Enamelled  Cages  with  sliding  doors  and  patent  fastenings  each  $0.75 
to  $ 8.00 . 

Brass  Cage*  at  $3.00,  increasing  .50  each  to  $7. 00  each. 

“ “ extra  large  f each  $7.50,  $8.00,  and  $10.00 

Silver-plated  Cages  each  $ 7.00 , $8.00,  and  $10.00 

“ “ “ with  gold-plated  trimmings 

$10.00,  $15.00,  and  $16.00 

The  above  cages  are  adapted  to  all  the  small,  seed-eating  birds. 
Parrot  Cages,  new  style,  similar  to  the  brass  cages,  at  $3.00,  in- 
creasing .50  each  to  $6.00. 

Parrot  Cages,  square,  the  finest  made  each  $10.00  to  13.00 

Wooden  Cages,  thirty-two  different  styles,  in  size  from  eight  by 
ten  inches  to  fourteen  by  twenty-six  inches,  at  prices  va- 
rying from'"  each  $1.50  to  $5.00 

Wooden  Cages  for  Mocking-Birds  each  $3.50  to  $8.00 

Mocking-Bird  Cages,  square,  ijew  style  each  $10.00  to  $13.00 

Sky-Lark  Cages  each  $3.50  to  $5.00 

Mouse  Cages  each  $0.50  to  $3.00 

Squirrel  Cages  each  $2.50  to  $6.00 

“ “ square,  new  style  each  $8.00  to  $13.00 

Bird-Seed.  See  article  on  seed,  page  69. 

Mocking-bird  food,  box  or  bottle  each  $0.50 

If  sent  by  mail  each  $0.60 


Aldom’s  Spring  Perch.  See  article  on  page  81. 
m This  perch  will  be  sent  free  by  mail  on  receipt  of  twenty-five  cents. 

Meal  Worms.  These  can  usually  be  obtained  at  feed-stores,  grist- 
mills, or  in  pigeon-houses. 

Ants’  Eggs.  See  article  on  page  43.  We  will  send  free  by  mail 
sufficient  for  one  bird  three  months  for  twenty-five  cents. 

Gravel  Paper.  See  article  on  page  81.  Price  per  package,  twelve 
sheets,  twenty-five  cents  ; if  sent  by  mail,  thirty  cents. 

Bathing-dishes,  Cups,  Jars,.  Fountains,  Bottles,  Nests,  Cuttle-Fish, 
Gravel,  Perchwood,  &c.,  can  be  obtained  at  any  Bird  or  House-furnish- 
ing goods  store.  To  those  living  remote  from  a bird-store,  we  will 
send  any  of  the  above  articles  by  mail  or  express. 

Address 


NEW-YORK  BIRD  STORE, 

9 Bowdoin  Square , Boston , Mass. 


Henry  Reiche. 


Chas.  F.  Holden. 


It 


NEW-YORK  BIRD  STORE. 


9 BOWDOIN  SQUARE. 

Opposite  Revere  House, 


BOSTON,  MASS. 


